After falling short of an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, Vanderbilt earned a No. 2 seed in the NIT. It is the second straight season the Commodores have competed in the event, as last year’s team made a run to the NIT Quarterfinal. Vanderbilt will face Yale in the opening round at Memorial Gymnasium.
The NCAA originally announced Vanderbilt as a No. 3 seed, but later corrected itself and named Vanderbilt a No. 2 seed.
It is the 14th time Vanderbilt has played in the NIT. After making a run to the SEC Semifinals this past weekend, the Commodores hoped to make a splash in the NCAA Tournament. However, they were not considered in the Selection Committee’s “First Four Out.”
“I think we handled our part of it,” Jerry Stackhouse said of his team’s NCAA Tournament chances on Saturday. “We’ve done all that we could do as far as playing the game I think the right way, playing hard, tough. There’s no doubt about it in my mind that we play in the best, toughest conference. When they talk about us getting eight or nine teams, there’s no way you’re going to tell me that we’re not one of the best eight teams in this league.”
Vanderbilt and Yale will face off at 8 p.m. CDT at Memorial Gymnasium on Tuesday, March 14. The winner of Vanderbilt and Yale will play the winner of Michigan and Toledo later in the week.
