Rhody To Open NIT Field at Niagara; Game to be Aired on Cox

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Rams and Purple Eagles will face off for the first time on the hardwood on Tuesday, March 17

Delroy James and the Rams will play in the postseason on Tuesday night at Niagara in the first round of the NIT

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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