The Preseason NIT is primed for some upsets

The bracket for the Preseason NIT has officially been released.

The field is fairly mediocre. Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, and Stanford will all host pods. What's great about the Preseason NIT is that, unlike many of the other preseason tournaments, the hosts actually have to win two games to advance.


Syracuse as by far the easiest path. They face Manhattan and first-year head coach Steve Masiello -- who takes over a team that won just five games last year -- before advancing to play the winner of Albany and Brown. If the Orange do advance, they will be the overwhelming favorite to win the championship. Not only are they hands down the most talented team in the field, the semifinals and finals will be played at Madison Square Garden, which will be more-or-less a home game for the Orange.

The other brackets could end up getting interesting.

The most intriguing matchup will take place in Virginia Tech's bracket with a potential matchup against George Mason on the horizon. The Patriots could very well be the second best team in the field. Making that game all the more intriguing is that Virginia Tech, who will have to replace Malcolm Delaney, normally shies away from playing in-state opponents. The two teams have played just twice in their history, with both games taking place in the 1991-1992 season.

Colorado State will be playing in this event in the wrong season. Their talented frontcourt of Andy Ogide and Travis Franklin graduated last year, and incoming transfers Colton Iverson (Minnesota), Daniel Bejarano (Arizona), and Cody Mann (Florida) won't be eligible until next season.

While it will take more than four early-season games to get an answer, its going to be interesting to see how Stanford's talented sophomore class will respond this season. The Cardinal lost Jeremy Green during the offseason, but on paper they look like a team that may be able to finish in the top half of the Pac-12 if things break right.

Oral Roberts is also a team that could pull an upset. The Golden Eagles return five of their top six scorers from a team that went 13-5 in Summit League play, while the Cowboys will be trying to replace their front line of Marshall Moses and Matt Pilgrim.