Not that it wasn’t expected, but the Missouri Tigers were holding out hope that their 16-13 record and difficult schedule would be enough to get them into the NCAA tournament. It wasn’t. Mizzou was looked over and immediately accepted a bid to play in the NIT, where they will travel to Ann Arbor for a Tuesday game with the University of Michigan, which is 18-11. It ends a run of five-straight seasons in the NCAA Tournament. Mizzou will make its first appearance in the NIT, since going in 1996 and 1997. Tomorrow’s game will feature a reunion of Missouri head coach Quin Snyder and Michigan head coach Tommy Amaker. The two were teammates at Duke for two seasons (Amaker was two years ahead of Snyder). In 1997, when Amaker resigned as Dukes associate head coach to go to Seton Hall, Snyder filled Amaker’s vacancy on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff. This will be the first meeting between the Tigers and Wolverines since the 1976 NCAA Tournament. The Tigers aren’t the only Missouri team headed to the NIT. Saint Louis University will make its second straight trip as they host Iowa tomorrow night at the Family Arena in St. Charles. Last season SLU hosted Minnesota in the first round and was bounced 62-52. For Southwest Missouri State, no news was bad news. SMS didn’t get an invitation to the NIT, despite a 19-14 record and run to the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
