LSU Basketball Accepts NIT Bid as a #3 Seed

After getting bounced by Mississippi State in the first round Thursday, the postseason fate was pretty evident to be an NIT Tournament bid. Even before the SEC Tournament game, Coach Wade and other LSU staff acknowledged they would be more than happy to accept a bid and host a game. The Tigers finished with a 17-14 record and one of the more impressive records against Tier 1 teams, confirming the invitation to host a first round game this Wednesday.

As a #3 seed, the Tigers get to host the #6 seed in their region—the UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. This game will tip this Wednesday, March 14th at 6pm in the PMAC, and will only be available on ESPN3. The Cajuns finished with an impressive 27-6 record in the regular season.

“We are very excited to have been chosen to play in the 2018 NIT,” said Coach Wade Sunday evening. “We look forward to giving our fans another opportunity to watch us play in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and we hope they will support our players and what they have achieved this season.”

This year’s NIT will feature four experimental rule changes to observe how they could eventually affect the game at the NCAA Men’s level.

• The three-point line will be extended by about 1 foot 8 inches to match the FIBA distance of 22 feet 1.75 inches.
• The free throw lane will be extended from 12 to 16 inches to match NBA dimensions.
• The game will be divided into four 10 minute quarters, with teams entering the bonus after five fouls each quarter.
• The shot clock will reset to 20 seconds instead of 30 seconds after an offensive rebound.