The No. 4 seed Cincinnati is hosting its first NIT game since 2010 as the Virginia Tech Hokies tip it off with coach Wes Miller's Bearcats at 9 p.m. EST. UC is 21-12 while Virginia Tech is 19-14. The two squads haven't played since 1991 in the old Metro Conference tournament.
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UC basketball postseasonCincinnati Bearcats will face Virginia Tech Hokies in NIT first round on Wednesday
In the current Fifth Third Arena configuration, it is the first NIT contest. Cincinnati is a 5.5-point favorite.
The winner of the Bearcats/Hokies game will face Hofstra, which knocked off top-seed Rutgers in overtime 88-86 Tuesday night. That game is scheduled for either Saturday, March 18 or Sunday, March 19.
In the meantime, the portal is open
Already several players have been reported to have had contact with UC. Among those according to stockrisers.com are: 6-foot-11, 262-pound TCU center Eddie Lampkin Jr., 6-foot-3, 170-pound point guard Nate Calmese of Lamar, 6-foot-3, 170-pound Butler guard Jayden Taylor and 6-foot-5, 201-pound guard Paxon Wojcik of Brown.
"The last two or three years, COVID, NIL, transfer portal, extra eligibility, this is probably the most volatile cycle in the history of college basketball," Miller said. "Just all the changes and stuff that's going on, social media and the way it's covered. I haven't reached out to anybody. We're just in this volatile moment. For our program, we're just going to stay steady. Right now, we're just getting ready for the next game."
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