Michigan Basketball: The Risk, Reward Of Competing In The NIT

Although it isn't the outcome that many fans had hoped for, the Michigan Wolverines have accepted their invite to compete in the NIT.

It's official: Michigan has accepted its invite to compete in the 2022-23 NIT. The No. 3-seed Wolverines will square off against Toledo in Ann Arbor on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 for the first round of the tournament. 

From a team perspective, there really aren't any negatives when it comes to competing in the NIT after missing out on the NCAA tournament. After all, the Wolverines are in the NIT for a reason - because they need to get better from both a player and coaching standpoint. Any additional games you can play will do nothing but help in both of those areas (presumably). 

That being said, there are certainly some big risks to competing in the NIT if you look at things from a fan perspective. The best case scenario for Michigan at this point is that it wins the NIT championship, something that very few within the fan base will actually celebrate. On the flipside, anything short of winning it all will put even more fuel on a fire that is already burning - one that questions whether or not the basketball program is in good hands with Juwan Howard at the helm. 

We discuss the potential risks and rewards of competing in the NIT below.