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South Alabama coach rips NIT for withdrawing invite: ‘Meaningless apology’
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South Alabama coach Richie Riley is not pleased with the NIT.
Riley’s team was briefly invited to participate in the annual tournament on Sunday, but South Alabama’s invitation was later withdrawn due to a mixup.
The NIT released a statement saying an invitation was extended to South Alabama after learning that another team (UC Riverside) committed to play in a different postseason tournament. However, upon learning it had been selected by the NIT, UC Riverside chose to accept that invitation.
That series of events left South Alabama without a spot in the NIT. The Jaguars didn’t learn their invite had been rescinded until after players on the team had already been informed. The NIT publicly apologized for the mixup, but Riley isn’t eager to accept the excuse. Riley called it a “meaningless apology” in a social media post:
According to Chris Hummer of CBS Sports, UC Riverside was never officially notified of its NIT bid. The school reportedly learned of its invitation to the NIT after the bracket was posted online. That’s why the school reversed course and ultimately ended up with the spot that had been promised to South Alabama.
As of now, it appears South Alabama will not play in any postseason event this season. The Jaguars won a share of the Sun Belt regular season title this year by going 13-5 in league play. Riley just finished his 7th season at the helm.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
