Accept NIT or Decline Invitation?

[Trish]

What should the program do when presented with the offer of the NIT? 
 

Do you support playing in the NIT or is it time to end the season?

[vemmeistars]

Accept, but would only play Galloway, Geronimo, Bates, Leal, Duncomb, Lander, and the upperclassmen who are committed to returning next year. Otherwise, no value in playing the NIT with the same starters we've had all year.

Edited March 3, 2022 by vemmeistars

[coonhounds]

Normally I would say accept. However in this dire situation I don't see anything positive coming from it except more heartache so decline. Blow this roster up and do whatever it takes to put life back in this program. Whatever it takes

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[Hovadipo]

If this is the way the rest of the season plays out, you go into that thing looking to turn chicken poop into chicken salad and salvage some sort of positivity heading into next year. Get the young dudes a ton of minutes and try to win a few more basketball games.

Last time, we had home games and they made tickets really cheap which allowed a bunch of people to go that normally wouldn't be able to. I thought that was a major positive for the program, all things considered.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

11 minutes ago, vemmeistars said:

Accept, but would only play Galloway, Geronimo, Bates, Leal, Duncomb, Lander, and only the upperclassmen who are committed to returning next year. Otherwise, no value in playing the NIT with the same starters we've had all year.

100%

[coonhounds]

If this is the way the rest of the season plays out, you go into that thing looking to turn chicken poop into chicken salad and salvage some sort of positivity heading into next year. Get the young dudes a ton of minutes and try to win a few more basketball games.
Last time, we had home games and they made tickets really cheap which allowed a bunch of people to go that normally wouldn't be able to. I thought that was a major positive for the program, all things considered.

U just felt last time it felt like we were building something or working towards building something. This feels different to me and I only see more negative coming from nit. However I believe we will accept so I am ready to watch nit again. I am interested to see if the administration thinks we're building something in which case we will play at assembly. If not they will make a excuse to kick us on the road lol

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[IU_FanClub]

Accept it and only play the young guys as many minutes as possible

[Five Prime]

This program isn't in position to decline postseason invites.  This isn't a 1 off miss the tourney, it's a pattern.  

[NashvilleHoosier]

Having to ask this question, and any thought of not accepting, regardless of the reason why, implies that this program is above or too good for the NIT. Yet we’ve continually proven we aren’t. We can’t have that little self awareness can we? Suck it up and go try to win the NIT. Someone can think all day they are good enough and deserving of a better job, but if their experience, skills, and most of all performance continually prove otherwise, then they aren’t. Should they pass up the job they are qualified for? Or take it and get back to work figuring out ways to prove they are worthy of the better job?

[NOLA Hoosier]

Accept. Beggars can't be choosers, and IU are some beggin' @$$ Mfs

[Hovadipo]

12 minutes ago, coonhounds said:

U just felt last time it felt like we were building something or working towards building something. This feels different to me and I only see more negative coming from nit. However I believe we will accept so I am ready to watch nit again. I am interested to see if the administration thinks we're building something in which case we will play at assembly. If not they will make a excuse to kick us on the road lol

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There isn't a reality in which an AD doesn't feel like his first major hire isn't "building something". I know things aren't/don't feel great after last night, but it isn't that bad. I don't think there's a negative to giving your team more opportunities to play basketball and develop. Declining an NIT bid is a far worse look for a first year coach than playing and losing earlier than you'd like. Imagine what message that would send to the returning players, incoming players, transfer portal players, and future recruits.

[TheWatShot]

Absolutely accept the bid. I hate it when people say things like "what if we lose?" Well, then we lose, just like we've already done 12 times this season. Of all the reasons people can make fun of this program right now, losing an NIT game is pretty far down the list. 

 

Winning the WNIT in 2018 helped our women's program get to places it's never been. IU won the NIT in 1979 and was runner-up in 1985, and won banners two years after both. Take the bid, win the SOB and build off of it. 

[RaceToTheTop]

Never decline an invitation that gives an opportunity to improve.  IMO, saying 'we're too good for the NIT' isn't true for any team that receives an invitation.  If you were invited, that's where your program is -- regardless if you were national champion the previous year or missed then tournament for six years.

[IUCrazy2]

You accept it but I have no interest in watching it.  I was one of the people who went the last time we played Arkansas at home.  Not doing that again.

If you play the young guys like people have said, it makes sense.  I just don't care enough to put any effort into the losers bracket this year.

[HoosierX]

You absolutely accept it for development purposes, but I will absolutely not go out of my way to watch them.

I could see us struggling in the NIT. We've proven that we're good enough to be in the tournament while also proving we don't deserve to be in it. But I could see the guys not having a lot of motivation.

[LamarCheeks]

You accept the bid. And I'll watch. I've been doing it for for years: before I went to IU, while I went to IU and after I went to IU. 

Obviously, I'd rather be in the NCAAs. But if we go to the NIT, I'll watch. Guess that makes me a glutton for punishment! 

[vemmeistars]

They're going to accept it and keep things status quo and justify it by saying it's a learning opportunity on how to win and close games. But that's irrelevant if you're leaning heavily on the starters and literally every one of them isn't on the team next year.

 

[Uspshoosier]

You accept and it isn’t even close.   When your program hasn’t played any post season in 5 years your program is in no position to turn down a tournament like the NIT.  You accept the NIT  and decline the others.   Many programs have benefited from making runs in the NIT and have it carry over to next year.    You play to show the young guys who  are the foundation of your program what it feels like to miss the tourney and play in the NIT so they can lead and tell the incoming freshman what it felt like to be left out,  you play to gain some sort of post season experience in IUs case for everyone involved.  Older guys never have played in one, young guys never had played in one and your head coach has never coached in a post season college tournament.  

[Chris007]

1 hour ago, Trish said:

What should the program do when presented with the offer of the NIT? 
 

Do you support playing in the NIT or is it time to end the season?

Accept is the only answer. You get more practice and more games. use it as the beginning of the off-season. Get Leal, Geronimo others lots of minutes. 

[Stuhoo]

6 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

Accept is the only answer. You get more practice and more games. use it as the beginning of the off-season. Get Leal, Geronimo others lots of minutes. 

Exactly.

And hopefully we do so with Geronimo and Bates starting in place of Kopp and Stewart.