Submitted by Admin on March 16, 2011 - 08:48
The University of California and the Ole Miss Rebels both had higher hopes of playing in the NCAA Tournament. After the seedlings were announced and neither school was announced they were off to play in the NIT.
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The Rebels are not upset about being in the NIT and hope to advance in this tournament to build on next year. If this game gets close the rebels could have the edge. In large part due to having the right players attempt free throws, the Rebels led the SEC in free throw percentage with a 75.7 percent mark. Senior Chris Warren led the conference with 93.3 percent and senior Zach Graham was third at 87.1 percent.
Meanwhile Cal is used to playing in the NIT and look forward to the challenge. This is Cal’s seventh appearance in the NIT. The Bears won the 1999 title. They played in the event most recently in 2008, losing to Ohio State in the second round in what turned out to be coach Ben Braun’s final game after 12 seasons. Mike Montgomery won an NIT crown while coaching at Stanford in 1991.
The Bears should be at ease back at Haas Pavilion, and they will have had five days back at home to recuperate after their early exit from the Pac-10 tournament. The bears should feel comfortable playing at home, while the Ole Miss rebels have to travel across the country to play in this game.
This will be a great early game in the NIT to sit back and enjoy while your waiting for March Madness to tip off.