(03-18-2010 07:00 PM)alterego2 Wrote:  

(03-18-2010 07:32 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(03-18-2010 07:13 AM)tigercat Wrote:  

(03-11-2010 04:28 PM)Phillip26r Wrote:  Spare us all the pain.

Nobody cares.

If you look back into our basketball history, and you see that Memphis came of age at the NIT back in the stone age (50s). This little ole southern school that they were saying Memphis who? etc almost won the whole package, losing in a thriller to the Bradley Braves (a national power of sorts then).

I became a Tiger fan about that time and still remember listening to all those exciting games (the whole city became Memphis fans at that time imho). Some faternity brothers (much older than me of course) told some really neat stories about that NIT and their trip to the Big Apple.

The fans for the most part went up on chartered buses and they arrived late for the game. When the crowd of Memphis fans entered the Garden, the organist started playing Dixie (this was before the P.C. era). The students and other fans from Memphis received a big ovation from the Garden crowd entering the arena.. We had gotten some publicity in NYC as we were the largest group to travel to the NIT from that far away from New York.

The NIT was still a prestige event then, and we put ourselves "on the map". We really haven't looked back since then.

So, don't knock the NIT, it is something special in our history and growth of Tiger Basketball.

Yep, I remember all that. I had already been a Tiger fan before that, but back then, the NIT actually drew better teams than the NCAA. That's why I think it's funny when some of these schools that won NCAA titles in that era (cough UK cough) brag about being national champs. Wasn't the way it was looked upon then. The prestige went back and forth, depending on which tourney drew the better teams that year.

That's another reason I smile when people say the NIT is useless. No, it's not. It still gives kids something to play for, rather than just getting bounced in the first round of a 96-team NCAA, as they are talking now.

I view it like going to a minor football bowl game. Wouldn't want a steady diet, but in down years, it can be fun.

I was in New York in 1966. It was an amazing atmosphere all over the city during the tournament. The best teams in the nation were there. That is where we cut our teeth. The grasshoppers on this board have no clue. We silverbacks KNOW.