As the lone independent remaining in Division 1 basketball, NJIT didn’t have a chance for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, and with the inability to play a schedule that would warrant an at large bid, the Highlanders were doomed to the CIT, a third tier postseason tournament.
However, both NJIT and the CIT are big winners thus far in March, as the lone independent’s run in the tournament is taking a bit (a very little bit) of attention away from the Big Dance. The Highlanders are now 20-11 on the season, and even though their schedule was filled with lower level schools, NJIT is a better than you’d think 165th in KenPom at the moment, and its regular season featured wins over Michigan and Yale, as well as narrow losses to tournament teams Lafayette and Albany.
Last night, NJIT won its second round CIT game over Cleveland State, 80-77, and the fans who were crammed into NJIT’s 1,500 seat arena responded with a court storm. NJIT head coach Jim Engles built the program up to this level despite not having a conference to go to when the Great West folded, and only having seating on one side of the arena. Now he has a 20 win season, a berth into the final 16 of a postseason tournament, and a program getting some media buzz. Here’s hoping NJIT can find itself a home before Engles (deservedly) takes a better job.
