There’s only one problem with March Madness: the days of NCAA hoops hysteria are interspersed with far too many periods of extended sanity, especially as the tournament nears its end.
Sure, there were two great contests this past Saturday, and Maryland won the long-awaited championship game last night, but what was a poor, stranded sportswriter to do over spring break in a desolate town with tournament games scheduled only for weekends?
Expand my viewing options.
I discovered over the last two weeks that although it invariably delivers thrilling finishes and an impressively high level of play, there is more to March than just the NCAA tournament.
With its games conveniently scheduled on NCAA tournament off-days, the NIT offered high-intensity action that proved to be, although maybe not as high-profile, just as entertaining as anything the Big Dance had to offer. Perhaps most importantly, the NIT gave NCAA hoops fans a chance to catch one last glimpse of their favorite departing players in their collegiate colors.
For NCAA bubble teams that got snubbed from the tournament, like Memphis, Syracuse and Temple, receiving an NIT berth is like getting a glowing acceptance letter from MATC right after getting rejected from Harvard. You’re still going to get the chance to perform your best, just not exactly where you wanted to.
Sure, Lynn Greer and Temple were disillusioned when they failed to capture an NCAA bid, but once the initial disappointment faded, they realized they had some basketball games to play. And play they did.
Greer, arguably the best of the many great point guards John Chaney has coached during his tenure at Temple, played the final games of his senior campaign with unmatched toughness and ferocity.
The NIT gave basketball fans one last chance to watch the phenomenal Greer, who may or may not be selected in the June 26 NBA draft, run the point to perfection for Chaney.
Greer torched Fresno State in Temple’s first game, scoring 37 points on 11-21 shooting from the field, including 6-11 from three-point range and a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe, while recording zero turnovers.
Temple’s next game, against Louisville, turned out to be Greer’s last. After scoring only seven points in the first half, Greer took over the second stanza, scoring 20 points and hitting four three-pointers to bring the Owls back from a 16-point halftime deficit.
After a Reece Gaines three cut Temple’s lead to one with 1:45 left, Greer tried to hit yet another big shot for his team, but as he drove against Gaines, he slipped on a floor that had been wet all night and badly injured his ankle.
Unable to walk without assistance, Greer hobbled to the bench, and it seemed as if his college career was over. With Temple ahead by one point, though, Chaney inserted Greer, who caught the inbounds pass and was fouled in the corner. The senior dragged himself to the free-throw line, where he calmly swished two foul shots to give Temple its final margin of victory.
Greer’s display of offensive prowess and grit established the point guard as one of the most talented and hard-nosed players in the country. Sure, Greer would have loved to wow NCAA crowds with his shooting ability and floor leadership skills, but do you think he really cared after the Louisville game?
Probably not, because he won the game for his team, and because his injury kept him out the rest of the NIT, Greer ended up hitting the game-winning free throws to win his final collegiate event. While injured. That’s clutch and tough.
I don’t care what tournament it happened in; most ballplayers don’t get the exit Greer did, don’t feel that final flurry of emotion and adrenaline that hits a player when they realize the end is near, and they’re standing at the charity stripe with the game on the line, and they win it.
Without the NIT, Greer would have gone home to Philadelphia, out of eligibility and possibly undrafted. After his NIT showing, any NBA team needing a point guard that does not draft Greer, if he’s still available in the second round, should have its collective head inspected.
It wasn’t just Greer who gave his last hurrah in the NIT. Syracuse’s Preston Shumpert played with a similar fire, scoring 28 and 36 points in the Orange’s first- and second-round wins over St. Bonaventure and Butler, respectively. The senior long-range specialist put on a clinic in the two victories, hitting an impressive 10 of 16 three-pointers.
Shumpert cooled off in Syracuse’s dominating 62-46 win over Richmond, scoring only 13 points, but he turned it up in the semifinal against South Carolina, scoring 28 points while hitting four threes.
Unfortunately, the rest of the Orangemen forgot to show up, and Syracuse lost the game 66-59, but the offensive display put on by Shumpert, another borderline NBA draft pick, was something to remember the skinny shooter by.
Another star the NIT gave a chance to shine was Memphis’ Dajuan Wagner, whose pro prospects are up in the air, but for different reasons.
Wagner, a freshman, likely would have been the top pick in last year’s draft had he decided to jump to the NBA from high school. He chose to attend Memphis for at least one year, and although Wagner’s father says a decision has not been made, many signs indicate the two-guard will enter the draft this season.
If this was indeed Wagner’s final collegiate campaign, he made his mark on the Memphis program on his way out. After Memphis was snubbed by the NCAA selection committee, the NIT gave Wagner one last chance to display his considerable skills and scoring ability, and did he ever.
After averaging 21.1 points in the regular season, Wagner scored 16, 24 and 19 points in the first three rounds of the NIT before exploding for 32 points against Temple in the semifinals.
Wagner displayed his pro-level skills, hitting 12 of 18 shots, including five of six three-pointers, many from NBA range, in Memphis’ 78-77 defeat of Temple. Wagner made the play that won the game for his team; he drove to the hole with Memphis down by one and found Kelly Wise wide open in the paint for the game-winning jam with 18 seconds remaining.
If Wagner is off to the pros, he went out like Greer, a winner. Memphis went on to win the NIT, defeating South Carolina 72-62 behind 16 points from Wagner.
Who knows what will happen to these players at the next level? Greer’s and Shumpert’s draft prospects are still pending. Wagner is a definite lottery pick and pretty close to a sure thing in the NBA, but so was Dickey Simpkins.
Regardless of how far these young men go in basketball, I’m just happy I got one last chance to see them showcase their talents and play with the competitive fire that sometimes seems to disappear in the pros. I witnessed greatness — unpublicized, ignored, overshadowed greatness, but greatness nonetheless.
And I have the NIT to thank.
