The Indiana Hoosiers have decided not to play in the College Basketball Crown tournament, bringing an end to their season. Big Ten rivals Rutgers and Minnesota will compete for NIL prizes in the second-year event. Here are the Crown and NIT postseason schedules.
Two Big Ten teams filled out the field for the College Basketball Crown tournament in April, the second edition of Fox’s made-for-TV postseason tournament. Rutgers and Minnesota were chosen, as Indiana — which had a higher conference finish — passed on the event.
Indiana's first season under coach Darian DeVries is now over. The Hoosiers finished 18-14 overall and 9-11 in the Big Ten, and were knocked out of the postseason when they lost to Northwestern in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament last Wednesday.
It's the third straight year that Indiana basketball has failed to play in the postseason, the first two under former coach Mike Woodson. Indiana has played in just two NCAA Tournaments in the past 10 years.
The Big Ten is obligated to send two teams to the Crown tournament in Las Vegas. The event is put on by FOX, the Big Ten's television partner, and it's the only postseason option for Big Ten teams. FOX also televised Big 12 and Big East games, and teams from those conferences fill out the rest of the field. Oklahoma from the SEC and Stanford from the ACC complete the brackets.
Teams that advance in the Crown earn name, image and likeness money for their players. Nebraska received $300,000 in NIL for winning the Crown last year, and runner-up UCF received $100,000.
The NIT Tournament, televised by ESPN these days, didn't invite any Big Ten teams to their event.
Here is the schedule for the College Basketball Crown Tournament:
College Basketball Crown Tournament
April 1-5, Las Vegas, Nev.
April 1 quarterfinals
Oklahoma Sooners (19-15) vs. Colorado Buffaloes (17-15), 8 p.m. ET at MGM Grand Arena. TV: FOX Sports 1.
Baylor Bears (16-16) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-17), 10:30 p.m. ET at MGM Grand Arena. TV: FOX Sports 1.
April 2 quarterfinals
West Virginia Mountaineers (18-14) vs. Stanford Cardinal (20-12), 8 p.m. ET at MGM Grand Arena. TV: FOX Sports 1.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (14-19) vs. Creighton Blue Jays (15-17), 10:30 p.m. ET at MGM Grand Arena. TV: FOX Sports 1.
April 4 semifinals
Oklahoma/Colorado winner vs. Baylor/Minnesota winner, 1:30 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena. TV: FOX.
West Virginia/Stanford winner vs. Rutgers/Creighton winner, 4 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena. TV: FOX.
April 5 finals
Semifinal winners, 5:30 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena. TV: FOX.
National Invitational Tournament
Tuesday's games
Liberty Flames (25-7) at George Mason Patriots (23-9), 6 p.m. ET at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va. TV: ESPN.
UNC Wilmington Seahawks at Yale Bulldogs (24-6), 7 p.m. ET at John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, Conn. TV: ESPN-Plus.
Wyoming Cowboys (18-14) at Wichita State Shockers (22-11), 7 p.m. ET at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan. TV: ESPNU.
Davidson Wildcats (20-13) at Oklahoma State Cowboys (19-14), 8 p.m. ET at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. TV: ESPN2.
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (28-5) at Tulsa Golden Hurricane (26-7), 9 p.m. ET at Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla. TV: ESPNU.
St. Thomas (Minn.) Tommies (24-9) at Seattle Redhawks (20-13), 10 p.m. ET. at Redhawk Center in Seattle, Wash. TV: ESPN-Plus .
South Alabama Jaguars (21-11) at Auburn Tigers (17-16), 10 p.m. ET at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. TV: ESPN2.
UNLV Rebels (17-16) at UC-Irvine Anteaters (23-11), 11 p.m. ET at Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif. TV: ESPNU.
Wednesday's games
Navy Midshipmen (26-7) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (23-9), 7 p.m. ET at LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C. TV: ESPNU.
Kent State Golden Flashes (24-9) at Illinois State Redbirds (20-12), 8 p.m. ET at CEFCU Arena in Normal, Ill. TV: ESPN-Plus
George Washington Revolutionaries (18-15) at Utah Valley Wolverines (25-8), 8 p.m. ET at UCCU Center in Orem, Utah. TV: ESPN-Plus.
Dayton Flyers (23-11) at Bradley Braves (21-12), 9 p.m. ET at Carver Arena in Peoria, Ill. TV: ESPNU.
Sam Houston Bearkats (22-11) at New Mexico Lobos (23-10), 9 p.m. ET at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. TV: ESPN-Plus.
Murray State Racers (20-12) at Nevada Wolf Pack (22-12), 10 p.m. ET at Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev. TV: ESPN-Plus.
Saint Joseph's Hawks (22-11) at Colorado State Rams (21-12), 11 p.m. ET at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. TV: ESPNU.
Illinois-Chicago Flames (19-15) at California Golden Bears (21-11), 11 p.m. ET at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif. TV: ESPN2.