University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff to play in NIT Season Tip-Off

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas-Pine Bluff has been invited to play in the 2011 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off, one of the tournaments that serves as a kickoff to the college basketball season.

The Golden Lions will take on Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla. in the Midwest Region of the bracket. The Cowboys are a no.2-seed against the unseeded Golden Lions.

Oral Roberts and Texas-San Antonio round out the four-team pod in Stillwater. Dates and times will be determined in the coming weeks.

The 14-team field also includes Virginia Tech, George Mason and Stanford. The four teams to advance out of their regionals will play at Madison Square Garden in New York City November 23-25.

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Top-seeded Buffaloes slam Texas Southern Tigers 88-74

BOULDER, Colo. — If there was going to be a chance for Texas Southern to sneak up on Colorado, it came with five minutes left in the first half Wednesday night.

The Tigers trailed by three points, the crowd of 6,299 at the Coors Event Center was mostly quiet and the Buffaloes looked every bit like a team snubbed for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

“We thought we had the game,” TSU forward Travele Jones said. Colorado pulled away just before halftime and cruised to an 88-74 victory over TSU in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.

Snubbed Buffaloes pick up NIT victory

BOULDER - Alec Burks had 27 points and seven rebounds, Cory Higgins scored 25 points and the top-seeded Buffaloes beat Texas Southern 88-74 in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night.

Freshman Andre Roberson had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Buffaloes (22-13), who will face California - a 77-74 winner over Mississippi on Wednesday - in Boulder on Friday night.

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VT Hokies cruise in NIT first-round game vs. Bethune-Cookman

BLACKSBURG - As Virginia Tech's men's basketball team prepared for Wednesday night's National Invitation Tournament first round game, Hokies coach Seth Greenberg realized there was a chance his players could care less about the game.

He made sure nobody would just mail it in and coast against Bethune-Cookman. Even if Tech's players and coaches still were stinging after failing to be included in the NCAA tournament field, there were no lingering signs of misery against Bethune-Cookman.

Tech dispatched Bethune-Cookman 79-54 to advance to the second round. Tech, which is a No. 1 seed in the tournament, will play at 11 a.m. Sunday in Blacksburg against No. 4 seed Wichita State, which defeated Nebraska 76-49 on Wednesday.

Recap: Virginia Tech vs. Bethune-Cookman

Jeff Allen scored 19 points as the Virginia Tech Hokies rolled to a 79-54 victory over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats in first-round action of the NIT.

Malcolm Delaney registered 13 points for top-seeded Virginia Tech (22-11), which moves on to the second round to battle fourth-seeded Wichita State. The Hokies also got double-digit scoring performances from Manny Atkins (12 points), Erick Green (11 points, eight assists) and Terrell Bell (10 points).

Garrius Holloman posted 20 points in defeat for eighth-seeded Bethune-Cookman (21-13), which received 10 points and five assists from C.J. Reed.

Father-Son Duo Leads B-CUTo New Heights, Captures Conference’s Top Honors

Bethune-Cookman men's basketball coach Clifford Reed and his son, junior point guard C.J. Reed, have taken the Wildcats to unprecedented heights while achieving what no other father-son combination in MEAC history has achieved.

The elder Reed was voted MEAC Coach of the Year and his son was selected Player of the Year as the Wildcats won their first ever regular-season conference championship and earned their first-ever postseason appearance since moving to Division I. They play Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., in the NIT Wednesday night.

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Today's NIT: Texas Southern vs. Colorado

CU Buffs' resiliency will be tested in NIT opener in Boulder

The prevailing feeling from coast to coast is that Colorado deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament. Well-respected Seattle Times columnist Bud Withers on bubble teams scorned: "Clearly, the team with a beef is Colorado, which was 6-7 against the top 50, usually a figure that would guarantee entry."

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale, known for his love of all things Big East and ACC, said if this were a beauty contest, at-large selection Alabama-Birmingham would be Roseanne Barr and shunned CU would be Scarlett Johansson.

TEXAS SOUTHERN (19-12, 16-2 SWAC) vs. COLORADO (21-13, 8-8 BIG 12)
INTERNET STREAMING BROADCAST: 7 p.m., ESPN3.com
GAME NOTES: Game Notes #35: NIT 1st Round

Brooks: Buffs Working Up An Appetite For The NIT

BOULDER - In most cases, the NIT is all about appetite - that is, which teams can summon the hunger to stay competitive and keep playing in the aftermath of an overlook by the NCAA or being bounced out via an upset in a conference tournament.

Colorado is an uncomfortable fit in the first category, having been passed over by the NCAA Selection Committee, while Texas Southern falls into the second. They could commiserate Wednesday night at the Coors Events Center (7 p.m., ESPN3.com) in the first round of the NIT, but CU Coach Tad Boyle isn't expecting that from the Buffaloes.

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TSU's Harvey named SWAC Coach of the Year

Texas Southern's Tony Harvey was named 2011 Southwestern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year on Monday. Harvey, who is in his third season, led the Tigers (19-12) to a 16-2 mark in SWAC play and the regular-season title. TSU fell to Alabama State in the semifinals of the SWAC tournament but earned a bid to the National Invitation Tournament.

The eighth-seeded Tigers will open their NIT run against top-seeded Colorado at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Boulder, Colorado.

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TSU headed to NIT, will face Colorado in Boulder on Wednesday

HOUSTON – The Texas Southern Tigers had high hopes heading in this past week’s SWAC Conference tournament. They dreamed of playing in the Final Four. Alabama State ruined those plans last Friday night with a 73-66 victory in the semifinals, ending the Tigers chance at making it to the NCAA Tournament.

There isn’t much consolation for that crushing loss, but TSU’s season isn’t over just yet. On Wednesday, the Tigers (19-12) will head to Boulder, Colorado to take on the Buffaloes in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament.



TSU's Harvey to be Named SWAC Coach of the Year

HOUSTON - The Southwestern Athletic Conference will name Texas Southern men's basketball coach Tony Harvey as the SWAC Coach of the Year on Monday. TSU won the SWAC regular season championship and lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament to eventual champion Alabama State.

"It's a great honor," Harvey said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. "I'm really excited. I'm blessed and I'm thankful. "It's tears of joy." Harvey said he won the award for TSU which has given him great support.

Texas Southern draws Colorado in NIT

The Texas Southern Tigers fell just short of reaching the NCAA Tournament after bowing out to Alabama State on Friday in the semifinals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament.
But their consolation prize — an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament — represents a milestone for a program that hasn’t reached the postseason since the 2003, when it advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers (19-12), who were the SWAC’s regular-season champions, were named a No. 8 seed in the NIT and will face top-seeded Colorado (21-13) at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colo.

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