From: don.p.del.grande@gmail.com   
      
   September: Fox Sports is reportedly working on a 16-team postseason men's   
   basketball tournament that would be limited to Power 6 conferences, and in   
   addition, teams from the three conferences where Fox owns the rights to men's   
   basketball TV coverage (Big    
   East, Big Ten, Big 12) that are invited to the tournament would be required to   
   decline invitations to the Men's NIT. Also, there would be "ample   
   opportunities for NIL" for the players, presumably in an attempt to prevent   
   too many of them from not playing    
   so they can get ready for the NBA Draft.   
      
   October: the NCAA announces changes to the Men's NIT. Regular season   
   conference champions that don't get into the NCAA tournament are no longer   
   guaranteed spots in the Men's NIT. The only guaranteed spots go to:   
   (a) the top two teams, based on the NCAA's NET rankings, from each Power 6   
   conference that are not in the NCAA tournament, and   
   (b) the "first four out" of the NCAA tournament bracket, as announced by that   
   tournament's committee.   
   These 12-16 teams will be given 1-4 seeds, guaranteeing each of them a first   
   round home game.   
      
   I wouldn't be surprised if the next step is "emergency NCAA legislation" to   
   extend the rule where a team that declines a spot in an NCAA championship   
   tournament cannot participate in any other nonconference postseason event to   
   declining Men's NIT    
   invitations as well.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)