National Invitation Tournament (idea)

In college basketball (in the US), the team that wins the NIT (National Invitation Tournement) can legitmately call themselves the 65-th best team in the nation.

My alma mater, UCLA, won in 1985. Yay!

A list of the 65-th best teams in men's college basketball is:

• 2000 Wake Forest
• 1999 California
• 1998 Minnesota
• 1997 Michigan
• 1996 Nebraska
• 1995 Virginia Tech
• 1994 Villanova
• 1993 Minnesota
• 1992 Virginia
• 1991 Stanford
• 1990 Vanderbilt
• 1989 St. John's
• 1988 Connecticut
• 1987 Southern Miss.
• 1986 Ohio State
• 1985 UCLA

(Before 1985, the NCAA tournement had less than a 64-team field, so the previous NIT winners were better than the 65-th best team in the nation.)

For future reference, the other past NIT champions are:

• 1984 Michigan
• 1983 Fresno State
• 1982 Bradley
• 1981 Tulsa
• 1980 Virginia
• 1979 Indiana
• 1978 Texas
• 1977 St. Bonaventure
• 1976 Kentucky
• 1975 Princeton
• 1974 Purdue
• 1973 Virginia Tech
• 1972 Maryland
• 1971 North Carolina
• 1970 Marquette
• 1969 Temple
• 1968 Dayton
• 1967 Southern Illinois
• 1966 Brigham Young
• 1965 St. John's
• 1964 Bradley
• 1963 Providence
• 1962 Dayton
• 1961 Providence
• 1960 Bradley
• 1959 St. John's
• 1958 Xavier
• 1957 Bradley
• 1956 Louisville
• 1955 Duquesne
• 1954 Holy Cross
• 1953 Seton Hall
• 1952 La Salle
• 1951 Brigham Young
• 1950 CCNY
• 1949 San Francisco
• 1948 St. Louis
• 1947 Utah
• 1946 Kentucky
• 1945 DePaul
• 1944 St. John's
• 1943 St. John's
• 1942 West Virginia
• 1941 Long Island Univ.
• 1940 Colorado
• 1939 Long Island Univ.
• 1938 Temple