Men's Basketball
Rhody To Open NIT Field at Niagara; Game to be Aired on Cox
March 15, 2009
URI/Niagara gamenotes | Ticket info | 2009 NIT Bracket | Listen Live
KINGSTON, R.I. -- The University of Rhode Island is among the 32-team field for the 2009 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
The Rams (22-10) enter the NIT as a #6 seed and will take on #3 Niagara (26-8) at the Taps Gallagher Center in Niagara University, N.Y. at 7 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised live locally on Cox Sports Television (ch. 3), with Steve Degler and Mike MacDonald providing the call. The game can also be seen in the Buffalo area on Time Warner Sports Net.
The Rams and Purple Eagles of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) have never met on the hardwood. Head coach Jim Baron has compiled a 12-1 record all-time versus Niagara, including a 10-1 mark during his tenure at St. Bonaventure. This marks the 13th appearance in the NIT for URI. Rhody's last trip to the NIT came a season ago, when the Rams dropped a heartbreaking 74-73 decision at Creighton on March 18, 2008 in Omaha, Neb.
The 2009 NIT is played regionally for the first three rounds before playing the semi-finals and final round in New York's Madison Square Garden, the tournament's home since 1938. The championship doubleheader is slated for March 31 followed by the championship game, April 2.
URI in the National Invitation Tournament
1941 March 19 54-70 L Seton Hall
1942 March 19 71-82 L Toledo
1945 March 17 51-44 W Tennessee
March 21 53-97 L DePaul
March 24 57-64 L St. John's
1946 March 14 82-79 W Bowling Green
March 18 59-49 W Muhlenberg
March 20 45-46 L Kentucky
1979 March 7 65-67 L at Maryland (3 OT)
1981 March 12 58-84 L at Purdue
1987 March 12 92-107 L at Florida State
1992 March 19 68-63 W at Vanderbilt
March 24 81-80 W at Boston College
March 27 72-84 L at Utah
1996 March 13 82-77 W MARIST
March 19 62-58 W CHARLESTON
March 21 59-76 L at Saint Joseph's
2003 March 19 61-60 W SETON HALL
March 25 53-61 L TEMPLE
2004 March 17 80-52 W BOSTON UNIV.
March 19 72-79 L at West Virginia
2008 March 18 73-74 L at Creighton
