Arizona Wildcats get No. 1 seed in the NIT
by Anthony Gimino on Mar. 11, 2012, under Sports
Bucknell's Mike Muscala dunks on Syracuse on Dec. 20. The Bison lost 80-61. Photo by Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE
The Arizona Wildcats are a No. 1 seed in the NIT and will play host to Bucknell on Wednesday in a first-round game.
The game at McKale Center will start at 6 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN2.
Other No. 1 seeds are Pac-12 regular-season champ Washington, Tennessee and Seton Hall.
With a win, Arizona (23-11) would face the winner of the game between No. 4 Oral Roberts and No. 5 Nevada. Click here for the full bracket.
Also in Arizona’s quarter of the bracket is No. 2 Ole Miss and No. 3 Stanford. The fourth Pac-12 team in the field is Oregon, which also drew a No. 3 seed.
UCLA was not invited and will not accept an invitation to another tournament.
The Cats are looking at home games until the NIT’s Final Four, which is played in Madison Square Garden in New York City. First, they have to deal with Bucknell, which is 24-9 overall and the winner of the Patriot League regular-season title with a 12-2 mark.
The Bison lost to Lehigh 82-77 in the title game of the conference tournament.
Bucknell is led by 6-11 junior center Mike Muscala, who averages 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds, and his height could be problematic for Arizona. He was the Patriot League Player of the Year in 2011 and a first-team all-conference choice this season.
Bucknell played in the NCAA Tournament last season as a No. 14 seed, knocked out 81-52 in the Round of 64 by UConn, which was beginning its march to the title that included a regional final victory over Arizona.
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