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Hope you've set aside plenty of time Thanksgiving weekend for sports, because Pitt is going to very busy that weekend.
Not only will Pitt play their final home game (and likely final home Big East game) of the season against Rutgers on November 24th, but the Pitt men's basketball team could also be on national TV playing in the Preseason NIT.
The dates Pitt should be playing are on November 21st and 23rd. Pitt is one of the four regional hosts, along with Kansas State, Michigan, and Virginia.
The Preseason NIT is slightly different from most other preseason tournaments in that the hosts aren't guaranteed spots in the semifinals. Pitt will have to win two games at home before they can head to Madison Square Garden. The other teams participating have yet to be announced.
Should all four hosts advance, though, it'll set up a very intriguing semifinals. Pitt, as you well know, is coming off a disappointing season, but is bringing in a stellar recruiting class and will hopefully return to form next year. Kansas State, meanwhile, just lost Frank Martin to South Carolina and replaced him Bruce Weber, whose Illinois squad crashed and burned towards the end of last season. Michigan must replace a decent amount of talent, but does return Trey Burke, one of the top players in the Big Ten last season. Virginia started last season hot, but fizzled towards the end of the season.
All four teams could use this event to pick up one or two quality wins for their tournament resumes come March.
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