South Alabama livid as NCAA rescinds NIT invitation: 'An absolute joke'

It mightiness not beryllium the NCAA Tournament, but the governing body’s monolithic blunder successful the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) has 1 squad livid. 

South Alabama was notified by the NCAA and Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill, who serves arsenic vice seat of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, that they were extended a bid into the NIT precocious Sunday night. 

But conscionable 1 hr aft doing so, caput manager Richie Riley tells AL.com that the invitation was rescinded, breaking the hearts of his program. 

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South Alabama Jaguars caput manager Richie Riley watches during the archetypal fractional against the Mississippi Rebels astatine C.M. 'Tad' Smith Coliseum. (Petre Thomas/Imagn Images)

"It’s conscionable unfair for our players," Riley explained. "We’ve got a squad with zero NIL. They’re a clump of underdogs that fought their asses off. And present I person to archer them they’re not successful the NIT. It’s conscionable an implicit joke."

For the NCAA Tournament bracket, teams similar West Virginia were appalled they didn’t marque it in, but they were besides connected the bubble. South Alabama getting the invitation conscionable to person it ripped distant is simply a overmuch worse pill to swallow. 

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Riley elaborate the concern to AL.com, saying that Gill and NCAA elder vice president of hoops Dan Gavitt called him astatine 9:30 p.m. connected Sunday with the invitation due to the fact that UC Riverside committed to the College Basketball Invitational instead.

However, that committedness came earlier UC Riverside was extended the NIT invite. With UC Riverside wanting in, the NCAA rescinded South Alabama’s bid to get it backmost to them. 

Riley said that helium had already told his players they would beryllium participating successful the NIT. 

South Alabama Jaguars caput manager Richie Riley talks with guardant Barry Dunning Jr. (22) and defender John Broom (14) during the archetypal fractional against the Mississippi Rebels astatine C.M. 'Tad' Smith Coliseum. (Petre Thomas-Imagn Images)

"I said, ‘This is 100%, we’re successful right?’ And they said, ‘Yeah, congratulations. I’m gladsome you were capable to get in,'" Riley explained. 

"…I archer them, ‘I’m gonna archer my guys.’ They’re like, ‘Go ahead.’ So, I archer the team. (Gill and Gavitt) telephone back, immoderate clip it was, 10:45, 11 o’clock. Dan’s like, ‘No, UC Riverside is backmost in. I hatred that we had to bash this.’ This is unacceptable. You can’t bash that."

The NIT released an apology connection to South Alabama, saying they recognize the "emotional interaction this disorder created." Riley wasn’t proceeding immoderate of that, though, calling the connection a "meaningless apology" connected X.

"What they did to america past nighttime is inexcusable!" Riley’s X station continued. "These guys successful our locker country don’t merit this and it’s bittersweet your thought of making it close is simply a transcript and paste apology!"

South Alabama caput manager Richie Riley watches his squad play against Alabama astatine Coleman Coliseum. (Gary Cosby Jr./USA TODAY Sports)

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The Jaguars owned a 21-11 grounds connected the season, which was tied with Troy, James Madison and Arkansas State for the Sun Belt Conference regular play championship. They would spell connected to suffer to Arkansas State successful the Sun Belt semifinals, 74-71.

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