The NCAA tournament will be without some of our local teams, most notably Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Miami (OH). Only one of the three still were able to make the N.I.T. field that came out on Sunday night.

The Kentucky Wildcats (20-13), who saw its 17-year streak of making the NCAA tournament snapped, instead settled for a bid from the National Invitation Tournament.

They will play host to UNLV (21-10) in the tournament's first round on Tuesday night in Memorial Coliseum. The Wildcats have not played in Memorial Coliseum since 1976. The Cats were forced out of Rupp Arena this week by the Boys' Sweet Sixteen.

All tickets to Tuesday's game will be $33 (good luck getting someone to pay that). The game will be televised live on ESPN. 

The Cincinnati Bearcats were not asked to participate in the NIT despite a 5-2 record against teams that made the field Sunday night, but that wasn’t enough to make the Bearcats part of it. UC (18-14) was left out of the 32-team field despite two wins over Georgetown, and one over Notre Dame, UNLV and UAB, all of which received invitations. 

“We don’t measure our progress based on the NIT,” head coach Mick Cronin told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “We’re a perfect example of how political it is when two teams that we were 3-0 against and that we finished ahead of (in the Big East) got in. It’s a television event.”

No Mr. Cronin most fans measure success by victories and at 42-52 after three years, includinig an 0-10 mark in March, you are not faring too well.

The Miami RedHawks, who collapsed in the MAC Tournament, also were left out the NIT. 

Two other post-season tournaments, the second-year College Basketball Invitational and the first-year CollegeInsider.com Tournament, were expected to extend bids late Sunday night, but Cincinnati and Miami have both said they will not accept an offer should one be extended.

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