Michigan can take solace in knowing that its season has lasted longer than those of Kansas, Utah and Wake Forest.
The Wolverines can also be happy knowing that they made it to a final four of some kind.
But what they're really ecstatic about is the week they'll be spending in New York City.
Will they be able to fit in that tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art they had been planning?
Uh, wait a minute. Don't they have to do something else there? Like maybe a basketball game or two?
There are plenty of things to do in New York, but what tops Michigan's agenda is the NIT semifinals tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Wolverines (22-11) will tip off with Arkansas (18-12) at about 9:15, or a little bit after the first semifinal game - Florida State versus Connecticut - ends. That game is slated to get going at 7 o'clock. Both games will be televised by ESPN.
The championship game will be on Thursday night, preceded by the consolation game.
The Michigan camp looked like a disaster area two weeks ago when the Wolverines were denied an invitation to the NCAA tournament and then results of an investigation into NCAA violations were released.
Making matters worse for the Wolverines are the subsequent allegations concerning major NCAA violations that have surfaced since the initial investigation.
But somehow, Michigan has swept those problems under the rug and, almost miraculously, played some of its best ball of the season since the NIT began.
The charge has been led by sophomore center Robert Traylor, whose dominant play of late has stirred up talk of a possible early exit for the NBA. Perhaps as early as this year.
Traylor has averaged 19.3 points per game in three NIT games while shooting a torrid 65 percent from the floor. He virtually carried the team on his back during the second half of the quarterfinal victory over Notre Dame, where he matched his career-high with 26 points to go along with 13 rebounds.
The Tractor's inside presence has made open shots for sophomore guard Louis Bullock a lot easier to come by recently. Bullock has matched Traylor's scoring clip in NIT play.
One need not look further than the 12-for-19 mark that Bullock sports from behind the arc in the postseason to show that Traylor's dominance has softened the perimeter defense of Michigan's opponents.
Also having a strong postseason is junior point guard Travis Conlan, who is averaging 7.3 assists per game in the tourney. That stat is made more impressive knowing that he churns out four dishes for every time he's turned the ball over.
Even Maurice Taylor is having a renaissance of sorts in the postseason. Since breaking out of a season-long slump with a career-high 26 points against Northwestern March 5, Taylor has averaged 16.8 points in the last five games. He also has been taking the ball stronger to the basket and making moves in the post that he has been capable of all season long.
So, on paper, it looks like little could stop this Michigan juggernaut.
Well, Arkansas will be more than willing to give it a try. Employing his patented "40 minutes of hell" pressure defense, Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson could very well give Michigan fits.
The Wolverines have had trouble responding to pressure against teams like Iowa and Indiana. Now, against a more athletic Arkansas bunch, handling that pressure will be even more difficult.
The Razorbacks got to New York similar to the way Michigan did, by winning three games on their home court - a 101-75 blowout of Northern Arizona, followed by a 76-71 decision over Pittsburgh and then an 86-73 victory over UNLV in the quarterfinals.
Guard Pat Bradley has paced Arkansas in those games with a 19 point-per-game average. During the regular season, Bradley led the Southeastern Conference in 3-point field-goal percentage.
Bradley's backcourt partner, lightning-quick sophomore Kareem Reid, will undoubtedly be pumped up playing in front of his hometown fans. Reid has averaged 7.7 assists per game in the tourney.
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Maceo Baston and the Michigan basketball team will face Arkansas in the semifinals of the NIT tonight in New York. The game is a rematch of the 1994 NCAA Midwest Regional final, won by Arkansas, 78-68.