False Start: Stanford's NIT Title Doesn't Mean Much for Next Year
March 29th, 2012 - 23:26
If history means anything, a National Invitation Tournament crown won't serve as a springboard to NCAA playoff success for Stanford. Defending NIT champions combined for a 10-16 NCAA Tournament record from 1986 through 2012.
The NIT titlists from 1985 through 2004 combined for a losing national postseason tournament record (15-17) the year after capturing an NIT championship - NCAA (8-13) and NIT (7-4) - with three of them not reaching national postseason play. Two more NIT champions in the last six years - South Carolina '06 and Penn State '09 - also failed to appear in national postseason competition the next season. West Virginia '08, Ohio State '09 and Wichita State '12 combined for a 2-3 NCAA playoff mark the years after winning an NIT title.
Only two schools in the last 28 years reached an NCAA regional semifinal the year after capturing an NIT title (Virginia '93 and West Virginia '08). Here is a breakdown of how the NIT champions fared the next season since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985:
Year NIT Champion Performance the Following Season 1985 UCLA 15-14 record; 9-9 in Pacific-10 (4th place); no postseason 1986 Ohio State 20-13; 9-9 in Big Ten (6th); lost in NCAA 2nd round 1987 Southern Mississippi 19-11; 5-7 in Metro (7th); lost in NIT 2nd round 1988 Connecticut 18-13; 6-10 in Big East (T7th); lost in NIT 3rd round 1989 St. John's 24-10; 10-6 in Big East (4th); lost in NCAA 2nd round 1990 Vanderbilt 17-13; 11-7 in SEC (4th); lost in NCAA 1st round 1991 Stanford 18-11; 10-8 in Pacific-10 (4th); lost in NCAA 1st round 1992 Virginia 21-10; 9-7 in ACC (5th); lost in NCAA regional semifinal 1993 Minnesota 21-12; 10-8 in Big Ten (T4th); lost in NCAA 2nd round 1994 Villanova 25-8; 14-4 in Big East (2nd); lost in NCAA 1st round 1995 Virginia Tech 23-6; 13-3 in Atlantic 10 (T1st/W); lost in NCAA 2nd round 1996 Nebraska 19-14; 7-9 in Big 12 (4th/N); lost in NIT 3rd round 1997 Michigan 25-9; 11-5 in Big Ten (4th); lost in NCAA 2nd round 1998 Minnesota 17-11; 8-8 in Big Ten (6th); lost in NCAA 1st round 1999 California 18-15; 7-11 in Pacific-10 (7th); lost in NIT 3rd round 2000 Wake Forest 19-11; 8-8 in ACC (T5th); lost in NCAA 1st round 2001 Tulsa 27-7; 15-3 in WAC (T1st); lost in NCAA 2nd round 2002 Memphis 23-7; 13-3 in C-USA (1st/National); lost in NCAA 1st round 2003 St. John's 6-21; 1-15 in Big East (14th); no postseason 2004 Michigan 13-18; 4-12 in Big Ten (9th); no postseason 2005 South Carolina 23-15; 6-10 in SEC (5th/East); won NIT championship 2006 South Carolina 14-16; 4-12 in SEC (6th/Eastern); no postseason 2007 West Virginia 26-11; 11-7 in Big East (T5th); lost in NCAA regional semifinals 2008 Ohio State 22-11; 10-8 in Big Ten (T4th); lost in NCAA 1st round 2009 Penn State 11-20; 3-15 in Big Ten (11th); no postseason 2010 Dayton 22-14; 7-9 in Atlantic 10 (T8th); lost in NIT 1st round 2011 Wichita State 27-6; 16-2 in Missouri Valley (1st); lost in NCAA 1st round 2012 Stanford To be determined in 2012-13