Arkansas in Great Shape to Host NIT at Bud Walton

Showdown with former Arkansas head coach, rematch with Vermont possibilities if trends hold

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Feb 16, 2023 12:25 AM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – With another tough loss to Texas A&M in College Station, 62-56, Wednesday night, the Arkansas Razorbacks project to finish the regular season at 19-13.

It's unlikely that will be enough to get into the NCAA Tournament, especially considering how few quality wins Arkansas has, so attention now turns to the NIT. The good news is that Power Five teams with 17 or more wins typically make the tournament.

The additional good news is that Power Fives with at least 19 wins almost always host. The only such school to not host last season was Oregon, which finished 19-14 and had to travel to Utah St.

If history is a good omen, then signs might be good for Arkansas in the future. Texas A&M lost in the NIT championship game 73-72 last season and is now in line to face Alabama for the SEC championship in College Station the final game of the regular season.

Of course, when it comes to the NIT, ratings are important, so pairings often have more to do with potential storyline than whether one team is considered much better than the other.

Look no further than Mike Anderson's St. John's Red Storm. Right now Anderson's crew is slated for the NIT, but is beginning to trend toward possibly slipping into the NCAA Tournament on the strength of quality wins.

St. John's went into Hartford and beat No. 20 UConn (No. 6 at the time) and beat No. 17 Providence Saturday in Madison Square Garden to sweep the Friars on the season.

The Red Storm still have games against No. 18 Creighton and No. 11 Marquette to keep adding to their resume.

However, unless St. John's wins three of its last four and makes a bit of noise in the Big East Tournament, it would be almost too tempting for executives over at ESPN to not push for a Razorback-Red Storm showdown.

And while Arkansas might be down heading into a NIT game, St. John's has been slowly building under Anderson. He and his team will be pumped to prove themselves in Bud Walton.

It would also be beneficial to keep an eye on Vermont and Oklahoma State. If the Catamounts don't win their conference tournament, a rematch of their upset bid last year in the NCAA Tournament would be a strong possibility.

As for Oklahoma State, any time the Cowboys and Razorbacks can hook up in any sport is Network money.

Either way, it could be a fun NIT bracket if Arkansas can find a way to put its heart into it.