Georgia Basketball Receives NIT Bid

The Georgia basketball team was hoping for an NCAA Tournament Bid, but after Selection Sunday didn’t play out the way the team planned, it will have to settle for an NIT bid.

Georgia, the No. 3 seed, will host the No. 6 seed Belmont in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on Wednesday.

The NIT is viewed by most as a consolation tournament for the teams that were just shy of making the NCAA tournament. Receiving a NIT bid is better than no bid at all, but the Bulldogs were certainly hoping for a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament.

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Although the team struggled in the latter half of the season, it had an impressive showing in the SEC Tournament, reaching the semi-finals against Kentucky. The Bulldogs led the Wildcats for the majority of the game until their opponent pulled ahead mid-way through the second half. Georgia didn’t regain the lead and would eventually fall to Kentucky 80-93.

If Georgia had advanced to the finals of the SEC Tournament, they likely would have received more consideration from the selection committee. Coach Mark Fox believes the team didn’t receive as much consideration for the NCAA tourney as they deserved, especially with the team’s strong non-conference schedule.

Fox spoke with The Macon Telegraph after the selections were announced saying, “Obviously, we needed more wins. I don’t think strength of schedule was probably valued like we probably hoped.”