What is the value of an NIT championship?

[nashvillegoldenflash]

From the standpoint of establishing a national brand, is the value of an NIT championship worth more than a first round loss in the NCAA tournament, a second round loss, or a third round loss? Given that the vast majority of NIT champions throughout the history of the tournament have national brands and, only a few of them have regional brands, I would suggest that winning an NIT championship doesn't necessarily establish national branding but gives you the same level of recognition of other NIT champions. Since first round upsets of the NCAA Tournament are quite common every year, and second round upsets are considerably fewer in number, I believe an NIT championship has more value than a first round win, but probably less value than a second round win of the NCAA tourney when you consider how difficult it is to get into the Sweet 16.

But nevertheless, should the Tops capture an NIT championship next week, the national recognition of the championship could be invaluable in promoting national branding of WKU basketball.

 

[nashvillegoldenflash]

Since the Tops lost to Utah in the semi-finals, we will never know what the value of an NIT championship would have been for WKU. Contrary to what some people say about the NIT, I still believe a championship is worth more than a first round loss in the NCAA Tournament. Anyone who saw Penn State destroy Mississippi State last night could see that the Nittany Lions would have easily defeated most, if not all, of the one and done NCAA Tournament teams. As I stated before, major upsets occur every year in the NCAA Tournament but historically none of these teams have ever won an NIT championship. That alone should tell you that winning the NIT is more difficult than getting into the "Big Dance" or even winning one game in the NCAA Tournament.