Posted: 09/11/2012
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off its best season in program history, the Lehigh men’s basketball team will compete in the NIT Season Tip-Off, as announced by NIT selection committee chair C.M. Newton on Tuesday. The Mountain Hawks will travel to Pittsburgh where they’ll face Robert Morris in the first round on Nov. 12. Lehigh will then play Pitt or Fordham the following night in either the Regional Final, with a berth to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden on the line, or Consolation Game.
Seeded fifth out of the 16 teams in the tournament, the Mountain Hawks are only behind the four host institutions: Michigan (1), Virginia (2), Kansas State (3) and Pittsburgh (4). Robert Morris is sixth, Cleveland State seventh and Delaware eighth.
If Lehigh defeats Robert Morris and Pittsburgh or Fordham, it would advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York City where it would face the winner of the Michigan region (which includes the host Wolverines, Cleveland State, Bowling Green and IUPUI). The semifinals are set for Nov. 21 and finals on the 23rd at MSG.
For those who don’t advance, Subregionals will take place Nov. 19-20 on the campuses of the three highest remaining seeds. As the #5 seed, Lehigh would likely host one of the three pods, depending on results of the Regional Round games.
The 2012 NIT Season Tip-Off will be carried by the ESPN family of networks, televising games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3. All game broadcasts will also be available on WatchESPN.
The Mountain Hawks' day two game would air on ESPNU, should they face Pitt. If Lehigh faces the Panthers in either the final or consolation, it would be at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. If the matchup is Lehigh-Fordham, it would be at 6 p.m. and not be televised. The two semifinal times on Nov. 21 are 7 p.m. (ESPNU) and 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2) while the championship is 4:30 p.m. on the 23rd on ESPN.
For updated coverage of the NIT, go to www.nit.org.
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