
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, March 11, 1991                   TAG: 9103110224
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

7 20-GAME WINNERS IN NIT

Seven of the 12 20-game winners ignored by the NCAA Selection Committee were among the 32 teams chosen Sunday night for the 54th annual National Invitation Tournament.

Among the interesting first-round matchups in the nation's oldest postseason basketball tournament are an all-Oklahoma affair which sends Tulsa (18-11) to Oklahoma (16-14); a double 20-winner matchup with Fairleigh Dickinson (22-8) at Siena (23-9); and future Great Midwest conference mates hooking up with Alabama-Birmingham (18-12) at Memphis State (16-14).

Play begins on Wednesday with James Madison (19-9) at Providence (17-12); Ball State (21-9) at Cincinnati (17-11); Michigan (14-14) at Colorado (15-13); Southern Illinois (16-13) at Boise State (18-10); Houston (18-10) at Stanford (15-13); and Bowling Green (17-12) at Wisconsin (14-14).

On Thursday, in addition to the three matchups featured above, it will be Fordham (24-7) at South Florida (19-10); Coppin State (19-10) at Southwest Missouri State (21-11); and Rice (16-13) at Arkansas State (21-8).

First-round play will be completed Friday when it's Furman (20-8) at West Virginia (16-13); La Salle (19-9) at Massachusetts (17-11); Butler (18-10) at Wyoming (19-11); and George Washington (19-11) at South Carolina (19-12).

The second and third rounds will again be played at campus sites with the second round set for March 18-19 and the third round on March 20-21.

The semifinals and finals will be held at Madison Square Garden on March 25 and 27.

Three conferences each had three members invited to the NIT. The Missouri Valley Conference will be represented by Tulsa, Southern Illinois and Southwest Missouri State. The Metro Conference will have Memphis State, Cincinnati and South Carolina and the Atlantic 10 will have West Virginia, Massachusetts and George Washington.

Vanderbilt won last year's NIT, beating St. Louis in the championship game.

The five 20-win teams overlooked by both tournaments were: Southwestern Louisiana (21-10), Radford (22-7), Middle Tennessee State (21-9), Texas-Arlington (20-9) and Texas-San Antonio (21-8).

by CNB