NIT a blessing this time around

By Chris Duprey

Daily Sports Editor

More than a few have felt witty enough to have fun with the acronym NIT. But members of the Michigan basketball team are making no such jokes.

To them, it's the National Invitational Tournament, and nothing different.

"A lot of people are done with their season but we have a chance to continue on," freshman guard LaVell Blanchard said yesterday at a post-practice press conference.

Blanchard, Peter Vignier and Gavin Groninger assured the media that the Wolverines are truly upbeat about their first-round game at Notre Dame tomorrow night in the NIT - not the destination they had hoped for back in January when they were 12-3, but a postseason tournament nonetheless.

"You always have a dream. In my dream, we won the NCAA championship and I was cutting down the nets," Blanchard reflected. "I guess it didn't work out that way.

"Hopefully, we can win (the NIT)."

There seem to be three types of teams in the NIT field this season: Small unheard-ofs like Siena and Southern Illinois that failed to win their conference tournaments and earn automatic NCAA bids; middle-of-the-road teams with decent records, such as Xavier and Marquette, teams that represent the Wolverines' possible opponents should they win tomorrow; and marquee programs that fell short of the NCAA Tournament.

Like Michigan and Notre Dame.

Notre Dame was one of the few teams to make the heartbreaking "Bubble's Burst" list.

With an 8-8 Big East record and an 18-14 overall mark that boasted big-time victories against Ohio State and Connecticut, the Fighting Irish felt that they had already played their last home game and were instead en route to the beloved Big Dance.

Plans change. Turn on the lights and warm up the popcorn machines in the Joyce Center - there's more basketball to be played.

Notre Dame, after the allowed NCAA-rejection pouting period, should be careful not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

But at least the Fighting Irish are opening at home.

Despite the larger seating capacity of Crisler Arena relative to the Joyce Center (13,562 vs. 11,418), the Wolverines were not given the privilege of hosting a first-round game.

Maybe the NIT committee was impressed with Notre Dame's record.

Maybe the committee was less than impressed with the attendance at Crisler when Michigan hosted two NIT games back in 1997, where the lower bowl was barely filled - although the Maize Rage had not yet been born.

"Realistically, we weren't optimistic about getting one the first night," Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe said. "If we're fortunate enough to play well enough to win, there's a possibility we can get one in the second" round.

Trying to psychoanalyze the NIT committee is useless.

Time and energy, from the Wolverines' perspective, is much better spent on beating Notre Dame - a task they are happy to have.

"We're still playing. There are a lot of teams that are not," Ellerbe said.

MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily

LaVell Blanchard gets to look forward to a first-round NIT matchup with Notre Dame tomorrow. The Wolverines open on the road.