University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Invited to NIT; Plays at George Mason Wednesday
March 14, 2004 | Men's Basketball
BUZZ on VOLS' NIT BID | NIT SCHEDULE| BRACKET 
TENNESSEE'S ALL-TIME NIT RESULTS
Tennessee travels to Fairfax, Va., to play George Mason in the opening round of the 2004 National Invitation Tournament Wednesday. The game will tipoff at 7 p.m. (EST) at the Patriot Center and will be first ever meeting between the two schools.
"We are excited to be in the NIT and to continue our postseason play," Tennessee head coach Buzz Peterson said. "This will be a good chance for our young players to continue to develop and practice."
The Vols, who are 15-13 on the season, are making their 24th postseason appearance and their sixth in the past seven seasons. Last year Tennessee lost to eventual NIT runner-up Georgetown in the first round of the tournament.
George Mason is 21-9 on the season after falling to Virginia Commonwealth, 54-55, in the championship game of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament March 8. The loss to the Rams ended a five-game GMU winning streak. Jai Lewis, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward/center, leads the Patriots with 14.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
"We are looking forward to playing George Mason," Peterson said. "They are a team that is playing very well right now. They came very close to winning their conference tournament."
The winner of the Tennessee-George Mason game will take Wednesday's Belmont at Austin Peay winner at a site to be determined.
Utah State and Colorado, bubble teams left out of the NCAA tournament, head the 40-team field for the NIT.
The Big 12 led with five teams chosen for the 67th National Invitation Tournament, which starts Monday night with a matchup between Toledo (20-10) and Marquette (17-11) and concludes at Madison Square Garden April 1.
The Big East had four teams selected, and the Atlantic 10, Southeastern Conference, Big Ten and Western Athletic Conference each had three teams invited. The Atlantic Coast Conference, Conference USA and Mid-American Conference are sending two teams apiece.
There are 13 teams with 20 or more wins in the field, up from eight last year, and Villanova (16-16) is the only team with the minimum .500 record.
Utah State went 25-3 overall and 17-1 in the Big West, but lost to Cal St.-Northridge, a sub-.500 team, in the semifinals of the tournament. Utah State will host Hawaii (19-11) in the first round.
"It really sends a tough message to mid-majors out there. We were nationally ranked for six weeks, won 25 games and went 17-1 in our league, and the bottom line is that you need to win your tournament," coach Stew Morrill said. "Last time we were in this position we didn't respond very well. We were devastated and didn't play worth a dang in the NIT tournament versus Montana State (2002)."
Colorado (18-10) finished fourth in the Big 12, but was passed over by the NCAAs in favor of Texas Tech, which finished fifth. The Buffaloes will face Oregon (15-12) on Wednesday.
Joining Colorado from the Big 12 will be Missouri (16-13), Nebraska (16-12), Oklahoma (19-10), and Iowa State (17-12).
Villanova, Rutgers (16-12), West Virginia (15-13) and Notre Dame (17-12), another bubble team not chosen for the NCAA tournament despite winning seven of its final 10, will represent the Big East.
St. John's will not get a chance to defend its NIT title after completing its worst season in 97 years with a 6-21 record.
Villanova, which hosts Drexel (18-10), could face conference foe Rutgers in the quarterfinals. The Scarlet Knights play Temple (15-13) from the Atlantic 10, and Notre Dame matches up against Purdue (17-13) of the Big Ten. West Virginia plays at Kent State (22-8).
In a matchup between former assistants to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, Missouri, coached by Quin Snyder, will face Michigan (18-11), run by Tommy Amaker.
Also from the Atlantic 10, Rhode Island (19-13) hosts Boston University (23-5), which lost in the first round of the America East tournament after going 17-1 in the conference. George Washington (18-11) faces Virginia (17-12).
In two Big 12-SEC matchups in the first round, Georgia (16-13) goes against Iowa State and Oklahoma hosts LSU (18-10), which lost six of its last seven games.
Associated Press
