Now Buckeye fans, this one is specifically for you. But if you are a fan of Virginia Tech, Syracuse, or even Arizona State, then listen up. Actually, if you are a college basketball fan at all, then this may be of interest to you.

As a fan of - and student at - The Ohio State University, I would like to go on record as saying that I am happy that the Buckeyes are in the NIT tournament this year. Crazy, right? Well, not so much.

The Buckeyes are very young this year, with only three seniors - point guard Jamar Butler and forwards Othello Hunter and Matt Terwilliger - on the roster. After Butler, Terwilliger, and Hunter (who was a JuCo transfer and is only in his second year at OSU), sophomore forward David Lighty is the most seasoned player on this team. After Lighty, you have a couple of walk-ons (Danny Peters and Mark Titus), a transfer from Vanderbilt (Kyle Madsen), a JuCo sophomore point guard (P.J. Hill), and then a handful of talented yet raw freshmen (Jon Diebler, Kosta Koufos, Evan Turner, Eric Wallace, Dallas Lauderdale).

Now I know that college basketball is run by freshmen these days, but this class isn't on the level of the Oden/Conley Class of '06 that led the Buckeyes to the National Championship Game last year and then proceeded to move on to the NBA. Now I may be going out on a limb here, but I don't think that any of the freshmen will be leaving for the NBA after this season. There was some talk before the season that Koufos could leave for the NBA, but this is a deep draft class and I think he'd be better served to stick around for another year and slide over to power forward (incoming freshman B.J. Mullens will likely take over the center position), which is where he'll most likely play at the next level (even though he's a legit seven-footer, Koufos plays with more of a international style, similar to that of Dirk Nowitzki).

Back to my point. My point is that I'd rather have this team play in the NIT tournament (click to view bracket) - where they are a number one seed - than play in the NCAA tournament, where they would have been a seven seed at best. As a top seed in the NIT, they not only have a chance to make it to Madison Square Garden as part of the NIT Final Four, but they are expected to make it there. As a seven seed (at best) in the NCAA tourney, they would have had a date with a number two seed (Georgetown, Tennessee, Duke, or Texas) in the second round. If they would have been an eight or nine seed, then they would have had a second round date with one of the four top seeds (UNC, Memphis, Kansas, UCLA). Now there is a chance that they could beat one of those eight teams, but it's not very likely. So let me pose this question, would you rather lose in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament (if you are lucky), or win the NIT (which is very likely)? As part of the NIT, the number two seed in the same bracket as the Buckeyes is Illinois State. Quick, name their star player. Don't worry, I can't do it either.

So it's not the end of the world for all of the NIT-bound fans. You get to see your team play this year (if you haven't done so already), and you don't have to leave home to do it. I'm happy that this team will get what they need - more playing time. With a solid recruiting class coming in next year, this may just be a team to watch out for in '08. And plus, we still have Thad Matta.

So take a break from your brackets, Buckeye fans, and watch your Buckeyes play again tonight. They are in Value City Arena, and the opponent is UNC Asheville. 78-foot center Kenny George will be there. Will you?