March 16, 2008

NIT Bracket

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB has accepted an invitation to the 2008 National Invitation Tournament as a No. 5 seed, and will travel Richmond, Va. to take on the fourth-seeded VCU Rams on Wednesday, March 19. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN2.

UAB finished the campaign with an impressive 22-10 overall record and a 12-4 mark in Conference USA play. The Blazers have an RPI of 54 and have won 10 of their 14 games entering postseason play. Two of the losses over the stretch have come against No. 2 Memphis.

"This continues to be an exciting time for UAB basketball with the invitation to the NIT," said Blazer head coach Mike Davis. "VCU is a very good team. They won 26 games this season are a very difficult team to play against. It should be an exciting game to watch."

VCU holds a record of 24-7 overall and won the Colonial Athletic Association regular season title with a 15-3 conference mark. The Rams are 12-1 this season in home games, with the lone loss coming to Old Dominion, 67-66 on Feb. 16.

The Blazers will be making their ninth appearance in the NIT and have reached the Final Four on two occasions, both under coach Gene Bartow. In 1989, UAB advanced to the semifinals in New York where they lost to St. John's (76-65) before coming back to defeat Michigan State (78-76) in the third place game.

The Blazers also reached the NIT semifinals in the 1993 tournament, falling to Georgetown in the semifinals (45-41). Again, UAB rebounded to win the third place contest, defeating Providence by a 55-52 score. UAB has an all-time record in the NIT of 11-8.

It is also the first NIT appearance for the Blazers since 2003, when they won two games before losing in the quarterfinals to St. John's.

UAB was the only Conference USA school to receive a bid to the NIT, and is one of three teams to earn a bid to the postseason. Memphis is the No. 1 seed in the South Region in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, while Houston has accepted an invitation for the College Basketball Invitational.

UAB has participated in 13 NCAA Tournaments, making this the Blazers' 22nd overall postseason appearance.