March 16, 2008

2008 NIT Bracket in PDF Format

SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's basketball team will be participating in postseason play for the third consecutive year after it received an invitation to the 32-team 2008 MasterCard NIT on Sunday evening. The Aztecs will play their first-round game at Florida on Wednesday, March 19, at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT. The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

SDSU, which has won at least 20 games in three consecutive seasons for the first time since 1938-39, 1939-40 and 1940-41, is 20-12 (9-7 Mountain West Conference) on the year and is fresh off a semifinal appearance in the recently concluded MWC Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. The Aztecs are led by all-MWC first-team selection Lorrenzo Wade (14.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.5 apg) and third-team picks Ryan Amoroso (11.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Billy White (8.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.4 spg, 61.5 FG pct). White is also the conference's freshman of the year.

Florida, which has won the last two national titles, comes into the first-round tilt with a 21-11 overall record and an 8-8 mark in the Southeastern Conference. The Gators are coached by Billy Donovon, who, like Aztec coach Steve Fisher, has won a national championship.

The last time SDSU played a reigning national champion was Dec. 29, 2001, when it lost to Duke, 92-79, in Durham, N.C.

This is the third straight season in which San Diego State has advanced to postseason play and the fifth time in the last seven years. Prior to 2002, the Aztecs went 16 consecutive campaigns without participating in the postseason. This is also first time in 38 Division I seasons that SDSU is making three straight trips to the postseason.

The Aztecs are making their fourth NIT appearance in school history. In 1982, the Aztecs lost to UC Irvine, 70-69, but claimed its first Division I postseason win in the 2003 NIT, defeating UC Santa Barbara, 67-62, in overtime, before falling at Texas Tech, 57-48. Last season, San Diego State logged its second postseason victory after it defeated Missouri State in the first round before being ousted at Syracuse in the following round.

The winner of the San Diego State-Florida game will advance to play the winner of the Creighton-Rhode Island contest in the second round.

Fans interested in purchasing tickets should contact the Aztec Ticket Office at 619.283.SDSU.

SDSU Division I Postseason History
1974-75	NCAA-1st Round  vs. No. 17 UNLV - L, 80-90 (Tempe, Ariz.)
1975-76	NCAA-1st Round	vs. No. 6 UCLA - L, 64-74 (Eugene, Ore.)
1981-82	NIT-1st Round	vs. UC Irvine - L, 69-70 (San Diego, Calif.)
1984-85	NCAA-1st Round  vs. No. 9 UNLV - L, 80-85 (Salt Lake City, Utah)
2001-02	NCAA-1st Round  vs. No. 13 Illinois - L, 64-93 (Chicago, Ill.)
2002-03	NIT-1st Round   vs. UC Santa Barbara - W, 67-62 (ot) (San Diego, Calif.)
	NIT-2nd Round   vs. Texas Tech - L, 48-57 (Lubbock, Texas)
2005-06	NCAA-1st Round 	vs. Indiana - L, 83-87 (Salt Lake City, Utah)
2006-07	NIT-1st Round   at Missouri State - W, 74-70 (Springfield, Mo.)
	NIT-2nd Round   at Syracuse - L, 64-80 (Syracuse, N.Y.)
2007-08	NIT-1st Round   at Florida - (March 19)