I believe all tournaments are irrelevant other than the NCAA tournament, which Tulane came oh-so-close to reaching this year (after watching Yaxel Lendeborg doubled over in exhaustion for most of the second half against Memphis yesterday, I'm pretty sure Tulane would have beaten UAB), but getting a postseason bid is a nice reward for a team that played top-level basketball in Fort Worth. It also is a better opportunity than a first-round road game at a mid-major would have been in the NIT because Tulane will have a real shot to advance and beat a major conference school (USC) in a neutral-site affair.
That said, other than Boise State being in the field--a team I had pegged for an NCAA tournament berth--the field is very weak. There are five teams with losing records, including DePaul and Colorado, which were terrible from start to finish this year before each pulled an upset in the first round of their conference tournaments.
USC, with a NET of 70, gives Tulane a shot to notch its first top-100 victory of the year. The Trojans (16-17) are one of the teams in the field below .500, but they are better than the record indicates and nearly beat Purdue in the second round of the Big Ten tourney.
With the transfer portal opening March 24, it's anybody's guess who will be playing for the teams in the field, but Ron Hunter told me today he expects 80 to 90 percent participation from his players. The winning team will split $350,000 in NIL money.
Here is the bracket. The tournament starts March 31 and Tulane-USC play at 10 p.m. on April 1.
Bracket
That said, other than Boise State being in the field--a team I had pegged for an NCAA tournament berth--the field is very weak. There are five teams with losing records, including DePaul and Colorado, which were terrible from start to finish this year before each pulled an upset in the first round of their conference tournaments.
USC, with a NET of 70, gives Tulane a shot to notch its first top-100 victory of the year. The Trojans (16-17) are one of the teams in the field below .500, but they are better than the record indicates and nearly beat Purdue in the second round of the Big Ten tourney.
With the transfer portal opening March 24, it's anybody's guess who will be playing for the teams in the field, but Ron Hunter told me today he expects 80 to 90 percent participation from his players. The winning team will split $350,000 in NIL money.
Here is the bracket. The tournament starts March 31 and Tulane-USC play at 10 p.m. on April 1.
Bracket
