Huskers to face Butler in NIT
While Tim Miles’ future remains in the air, he will get at least one more game as Nebraska’s head coach in the National Invitation Tournament.
A run to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Chicago helped push the Huskers up to a No. 4 seed in the 32-team postseason field, which was announced on Sunday night. Nebraska will host No. 5-seeded Butler on Wednesday night for an 8 p.m. CT tip.
The Bulldogs are 16-16 overall and finished eighth in the Big East at 7-11. The last time NU played Butler was back Dec. 29, 1986, when the Huskers won 67-56 in the Rochester (N.Y.) Classic.
“We are excited to have our season continue, especially for our seniors who wanted to return to postseason play,” Miles said via press release. “We had our share of struggles at times, but I think the way we have played over the final two weeks of the season is a testament to our players and the character they have. I believe that our performance at the Big Ten Tournament is a good momentum boost heading into the postseason, and showed a team that wanted to keep playing.
“We have been tested against a schedule that is in the top five nationally in Kenpom, including 25 games against the top two quadrants in the NET, and we are looking forward to the postseason challenge.”
Nebraska has won two of its three all-time meetings with BU, splitting meetings in 1929 and 1931. The NIT berth marks Nebraska’s second in as many seasons, as the Huskers accepted an invite last year after missing the NCAA Tournament despite posting one of its best records in program history.
The Huskers racked up 22 wins and a school-record 13 Big Ten victories in 2017-18 but were tabbed a five-seed and forced to play on the road at No. 4 Mississippi State in the opening round. The Bulldogs handed NU a 66-59 exit after just one game.
This will mark Nebraska’s 19th appearance in the NIT and its third in the last nine years. The Huskers are 23-17 all-time in the tournament, which includes winning the title in 1996 with a 60-56 win over Saint Joseph’s.
Their last win in the NIT was back in 2008, when they topped Charlotte at the Devaney Center 67-48 in the first round. That was also the last time NU has hosted an NIT game.
Since then, though, Nebraska has lost its last four games in the tournament.
As for how much homecourt advantage means in the NIT, a look at last year’s bracket shows wildly mixed results. Home teams were a perfect 16-0 in the first round of the 2018 tournament but were just 5-3 in the second round. In the quarterfinals, home teams lost all four games.
***From NU Media Relations***
NIT First-round tickets are on sale now by visiting huskers.com/tickets and by calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday morning.
Premium seat holders (courtside, suites and loges) should be able to park in their normal spots for the first-round game. Season-ticket holders will not have their parking for NIT games.
Parking for the first-round game will be available on a first-come, first-served basis from Park N' Go (http://parkandgo.org/) beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday.
