the winner of this game is NOT the 66th best team.

If it wasnt for all the automatic births given out to conference tourney winners, I believe half of these teams would prolly be in the NCAA tournament right now.

No need for a ticker tape parade or mass celebration and hysteria but its better then winning the inaugural "CBI" tournament.........

No, it's not better to win the NIT than to be one and done in the Big Dance.

I am neither a Buckeye nor Minuteman fan but of course the players have something to be excited about. They're one of eight teams in D1-A Basketball still playing this late in the year(UCLA,UNC,Memphis,Kansas,OSU,UMASS, Bradley and Tulsa). Of course the school and fans aren't going to be as excited as an NCAA title but it shouldn't be something to scoff at. Another thing, this whole 66th best team label is pretty bogus. Without automatic berths from some really small conferences, some of these NIT teams would have easily been in the NCAA field. Are MVSU, Portland State, Mount St. Mary's, and UT-Arlington (16 seeds) really better basketball teams than OSU, ASU, VaTech, and Syracuse (NIT 1 seeds)?

I think the NIT is crowning the best of second third, they have not succeed to get to the big dance for wtv reasons and it gives visibility to team we don't usually see on TV

Everyone knows what the NIT is and where it ranks. That doesn't mean OSU shouldn't be excited for winning it. It also means people shouldn't tear them down just for the sake of it. It is a "national championship," even if it's not "the" national championship. But people in Columbus aren't going to be walking around touting it. Now, if Florida hadn't choked in the NIT Final 4, and if OSU had a chance to beat them instead of UMass, it'd be ON.

first of all they aren't considered the 66th best team cuz i'm sure half the teams in the ncaa tourney feild either umass or ohio st. can beat. The ncaa tourney has a bunch of mid majors that are in just cuz they win there awful confrences. I say that the NIT is a post season tourney and you have to be happy and celebrate that your bringing home a championship of some sort even if it isn't from the tourney that you may want to have been in.

Let's be honest here, the winner of the NIT is still a better team than some of the dogs that get into the NCAA Tourney. Even a major school like Georgia put in a team that would struggle against some high school programs, simply because they got hot during the Conference Tourney. And are you telling me that UMass or Ohio State are not better than Mt. St. Mary's or Portland State? Come on. The format of the tourney is great - but it does not include the top 65 teams in the country.

Wasn't the NIT the "original" 'big dance"? Sure it is a cause for celebration! These two teams are still playing and countless other D-1 teams are sitting at home. Just because someone did not appreciate the season these teams had or because they did not win their respective conference tourney is not a reason to blow off the NIT. Good luck to both the teams and coaches in tonight's contest and GO BUCKEYES!!

Winning the NIT is definitely something to be proud of. It provides great exposure for these teams and players. Just look at Renaldo Balkman from South Carolina. A couple of good NIT runs and all of a sudden a no name college player becomes a first rounder. Even take a team like WVU, last year's winner. They used their NIT title as something to build on this season resulting in an unexpected Sweet 16 run. The NIT is definitely a worth while tournament and a great chance for these kids to showcase themselves at the world's most famous arena.

winning any tournament is a cause for celebration.

It's nothing to sneeze at...but at the end of the day it's kinda like kissing your sister.
Nobody remembers who won the NIT except for the people who won. So good for them, but who cares tomorrow??

Sure! It's better than sitting around after the NCAA makes its decision.

Considering that its the "junior circuit", its not very good. Florida lost to UMASS for crying out loud... that's pretty bad

I live in Columbus, not a OSU Fan.

You would think they just won the greatest tournament in the history of sports. The fans here are terrible.

They already have National Championship T-Shirts for this coming football season, did you hear? Just like the last 35 years, its a given that they are going to win it all.

Pryor is going to take them all the way this year too, all the way to getting blown out in another championship game!

I'd say the winner of the NIT is about the equivalent of going to the sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.

Yeah, it's a big deal. Winning is a habit. Say what you want in the locker room, but no competitor allows themselves to lose on the floor. So, the NIT is five more chances to gain experience and gel the team in tournament conditions. Plus, there is an opportunity to face and overcome unusual players, uncanny speed, and / or unorthodox schemes not tested in the course of the season. Experience in these situations is important. I believe that conference champions have an 'obligation' to appear at the NCAA tournament; however, if I were a coach or AD with a building or even a second tier team, I would consider turning down a NCAA bid, with the high probability of an early loss, for a NIT birth, with the opportunity of a deep run.

I'm a Kentucky fan, and if UK hadn't received a bid to the NCAA tournament, I would have wanted them to turn down the NIT invitation. What happens if they win? Are they really going to put an NIT banner up next to the 7 NCAA banners they have? It would be better for schools like UK, and UCLA, and UNC if ever faced with an NIT invitation, to say "No thanks, we expect better than that, and we don't want to settle for anything less." At the very least it sends a message to the players.

I agree...the winner is NOT the 66th best team, and at some points I think that the NIT winner has a kind of stick-it-to-ya argument to the selection committee because it proves that they can win games (even if it is against lesser competition) in a tournament, something that many other "bubble teams" failed to do.

Although winning the NIT isn't comparable to winning THE tournament (or even going to the Sweet Sixteen, for that matter) it does give another school the chance that they are only one of two schools (or I guess three now?) that does not end their season with a loss :)

9:54 ... you're a punk ass! I live here in Columbus and haven't seen anyone celebrating like you claim - get real! A few comments about how it's nice to have the extra practice time for such a young team? Sure! Nice way for the seniors to go out? Sure! I don't know what you've seen or heard at the Walmart where you work but stop being a punk ass!