It was NIT or bust for Northwestern.
The CBI, CIT or new Vegas 16 surely would have offered a spot to a 20-12 team from the Big Ten, but the Wildcats decided against playing in the postseason after an NIT invitation was not forthcoming Sunday night.
Valparaiso, meanwhile, received a No. 1 seed in the NIT after missing out on an NCAA tournament at-large bid. The Horizon League regular-season champion Crusaders (26-6) will host Texas Southern in the first round Tuesday.
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NU coach Chris Collins consulted with his players before deciding. The Wildcats have been playing since a summer trip to Spain and are “gassed,” Collins said.
The Vegas event had some appeal, but it doesn’t begin until March 26, meaning more than 10 days of practice. And the players are taking final exams this week.
So the careers of Tre Demps and Alex Olah end with a painful 72-70 overtime loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament.
After the game Collins didn’t hide his anger regarding what he felt were missed calls at the end of regulation: the lack of a five-second violation on a Michigan inbounds play and referee Chris Beaver’s decision not to whistle Duncan Robinson for traveling.
Collins said Friday that “brand-name” Michigan, which needed the victory to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive, got the benefit of the calls.
He said Sunday it’s something schools such as Northwestern, which has never made the NCAA tournament, constantly battle.
“I knew exactly what I was saying,” Collins told the Tribune. “I was letting everyone know we’re here now. We’re not just going to lie down and be the sacrificial lamb.”
Next season Northwestern returns ace point guard Bryant McIntosh; wings Vic Law (healthy after shoulder surgery and rehab), Aaron Falzon, Scottie Lindsey and Nathan Taphorn; grinders Sanjay Lumpkin and Gavin Skelly; center Dererk Pardon; and backup guard Jordan Ash.
The incoming freshmen are gifted scorer Rapolas Ivanauskas of Barrington, center Barret Benson from Hinsdale and guard Isiah Brown of the Seattle area.