PLAYOFFS? Paths to See More Micah Peavy and Georgetown This March

Let’s talk about NIT and Crown tournaments

The madness of March is upon us, and for Georgetown Hoyas fans, it’s a time of both excitement and uncertainty. Since Thomas Sorber’s foot injury, many folks have been skipping ahead to next season, but there is still basketball to be played. Can the Hoyas make a run in the Big East Tournament? Sure. But the basketball need not end there, especially if Xavier gets the conference a fifth bid. This year, there are potential alternative tournaments like the College Basketball Crown and the NIT, which could be a great experience for a young team and the fans who love them.

Georgetown finished the regular season with a 17-14 overall record and an 8-12 record in the Big East, earning them seventh place in the conference. While their performance has been inconsistent at times, the Hoyas have shown flashes of brilliance, including a recent victory over Villanova. However, a disappointing loss to DePaul in the regular season finale has tempered expectations a bit this week.

Georgetown’s first opponent in the Big East Tournament, DePaul finished the regular season with a 13-18 overall record and a 4-16 record in the Big East, placing them 10th in the conference. While they are from from being considered a top contender in the tournament, they have the potential to cause an upset, as evidenced by their recent win over Georgetown. The Blue Demons enter the tournament with some momentum, having won their last two games, including a strong offensive performance where they shot 56.6% from the field.

DePaul has been a frequent opponent over the years. The Hoyas hold a commanding 36-14 advantage in the all-time series. However, DePaul has shown signs of improvement this season, and their recent victory over Georgetown cannot be overlooked.

If Georgetown advances past DePaul, they will face Creighton, a team that has typically had the Hoyas’ number in the conference (13-7) but has been beaten by GU twice at MSG (2015, 2021). Creighton’s success this season has been driven by their strong offensive firepower, exemplified by their 62.8% field goal percentage and 82.4% shooting in the second half of their recent win against Seton Hall.

They are led by four-time defensive player of the year Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is averaging 23.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. Kalkbrenner was recently named a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award. Georgetown will need to find a way to contain Kalkbrenner and limit Creighton’s scoring opportunities if they hope to pull off an upset.

Should Georgetown overcome Creighton, their path in the Big East Tournament would likely involve matchups against higher-seeded opponents such as Connecticut or Villanova/Seton Hall. UConn has not been as inpenetrable as the prior two years, but the Hoyas do not want to face the Huskies if they are building momentum. Still, tournament play is always unpredictable, and Georgetown could elevate their game and advance deep into the bracket.

The College Basketball Crown: A New Opportunity

If Georgetown falls short in the Big East Tournament, there’s still a chance they could receive an invitation to the College Basketball Crown, a relatively new postseason tournament. The Crown, promoted by Fox Sports, will feature 16 teams that did not make the NCAA Tournament, with a focus on schools from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East conferences. However, it is not exclusively limited to these conferences and may include teams from other conferences as well.

Two automatic qualifiers from each participating conference will be selected, along with additional at-large bids chosen by a committee. While the specific selection criteria are not entirely clear, Georgetown’s 7th place finish in the Big East could put them in contention for an at-large bid, especially if Xavier, currently projected to be on the bubble, secures an NCAA Tournament berth.

The College Basketball Crown will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas from March 31 to April 6. It’s a single-elimination tournament.

For Georgetown, it could be a chance to gain valuable postseason experience and potentially make a run for the championship. The Crown Tournament was created by Fox Sports partly as a way to showcase teams from the conferences it has television rights to (Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East) during the postseason. This is because the NIT, a competing postseason tournament, is broadcast by ESPN.

The creation of the Crown has a potential to significantly impact the college basketball postseason landscape, leading to changes in the NIT’s selection process and potentially creating more opportunities for teams from those conferences.

Xavier’s Tournament Hopes

Xavier’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament are currently on the bubble. They have a 20-10 overall record and a 12-7 record in the Big East, placing them fifth in the conference. While they have a decent chance of securing an at-large bid, their fate may depend on their performance in the Big East Tournament.

Xavier’s quadrant records provide valuable context for their NCAA Tournament chances. They have struggled against top-tier teams, with a 1-9 record in Quad 1 games. However, they have been very strong against lower-ranked opponents, with an 8-1 record in Quad 2, 4-0 in Quad 3, and 7-0 in Quad 4.

Xavier plays Marquette on Thursday and, if they win, would play the winner of St. John’s vs. Butler/Providence. Beating Marquette would help. Beating both Marquette and St. John’s would likely clinch a berth. That said, the auto-bids from other conferences could screw everything up for the Big East again, like last year.

If Xavier does make the NCAA Tournament, it could open up a spot for Georgetown in the College Basketball Crown. Still, rooting for Xavier does not feel right.

The NIT: A Familiar Path

The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is another potential landing spot for Georgetown if they don’t make the NCAA Tournament or the College Basketball Crown. The NIT has a long and storied history, predating the NCAA Tournament by one year. While it has lost some of its prestige over the years, it still offers a chance for teams to compete in the postseason.

The NIT selection process has undergone some changes in recent years. For the 2025 tournament, 16 “exempt” teams will receive automatic bids, including the top two teams not selected for the NCAA Tournament from the ACC and SEC, as well as the top team not selected from each of the top 12 conferences based on the KenPom rankings.

In addition to the exempt teams, regular-season conference champions who are not selected for the NCAA Tournament can earn an automatic bid if they have an average ranking of 125 or better across various ranking systems.

Georgetown does not fall into either of these categories, so they would need to be selected as an at-large team based on their overall record and performance.

The NIT was once considered the premier postseason tournament in college basketball. However, several factors contributed to its decline in prestige, including the NCAA’s mandatory participation rule for its own tournament, the expansion of the NCAA Tournament field, and a point-shaving scandal in the 1950s. Despite this decline, the NIT still holds significance as a historic tournament and provides valuable postseason experience for participating teams.

Other Postseason Tournaments

While the NCAA Tournament, College Basketball Crown, and NIT are the most prominent postseason tournaments, there are a few other options for college basketball teams. These include:

• The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT): The CIT appears to be coming back for 2025. This tournament focuses on mid-major programs and features a unique pod-based format. It was first contested in 2009 and has been broadcast on various networks, including Fox College Sports, CBS Sports Network, and ESPN+. The CIT has crowned champions like Old Dominion, Missouri State, and Santa Clara.
• The College Basketball Invitational (CBI): This 16-team tournament is held in Daytona Beach and offers another opportunity for postseason play. The CBI has been praised by participating coaches for providing valuable postseason experience for their teams. Recent CBI champions include Seattle and North Texas.

In addition to the CIT and CBI, there have been other less common Division I postseason tournaments over the years, such as:

• The Vegas 16: A one-off tournament held in Las Vegas in 2016, featuring eight teams in a single-elimination format.
• The National Commissioners Invitational Tournament (NCIT): A short-lived tournament created by the NCAA in the 1970s to compete with the NIT. It lasted only two seasons.

Georgetown’s Path

Georgetown has a rich history in the Big East Tournament, having won the tournament a record eight times. Their most recent victory came in 2021 when they upset Creighton in the championship game. However, their recent performances in the tournament have been less successful.

The Hoyas have also made 31 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Final Four five times and winning the national championship in 1984. Their last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2021, where they lost in the first round.

Georgetown’s postseason outlook is full of possibilities, but the road ahead is undeniably uphill. A strong performance in the Big East Tournament is crucial for their NCAA Tournament hopes, with a win against DePaul being a necessary first step. With a blend of experience and young talent, the Hoyas have the potential to surprise and make this postseason one to remember.

Should they come up short in the Big East Tournament, the College Basketball Crown and the NIT may offer alternative paths to extend their season, get postseason experience, and let fans enjoy players like Micah Peavy a bit more.