SMU and Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown are staying home to play in the National Invitation Tournament.
Snubbed by the NCAA tournament selection committee after a three-game losing streak, the Mustangs (23-9) are a No. 1 seed in the NIT along with Minnesota, Florida State and St. John’s.
Georgetown will be playing in the NIT after a disappointing season that included a loss to DePaul in the first round of the Big East tournament. The Hoyas (17-14) will play at home on Tuesday night against West Virginia (17-15). Not in the NIT draw is Maryland, which was beaten by Florida State in its finall appearance in the ACC tournament before moving to the Big Ten.
SMU’s Mustangs didn’t have consecutive losses until ending the regular season with losses to Top 25 teams Louisville and Memphis, before losing to Houston in their AAC tournament opener.
SMU opens the NIT on Wednesday night at home against UC Irvine. The Mustangs are 9-1 at renovated Moody Coliseum.
St. John’s plays at home Tuesday night against Robert Morris, which upset Kentucky in an NIT opener last year.
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