'Absolutely Ridiculous!' Tom Crean Slams Ole Miss, Other Programs Who Passed on NIT

Former college basketball coach and current analyst Tom Crean had some words for the Ole Miss Rebels and other programs who passed on an NIT invitation this season.

The Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball season has come to an end, and although Chris Beard's program had an opportunity to participate in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) this season, it opted to decline.

Beard cited "timing" for the reason his program decided not to participate in the NIT this season, and multiple other programs (Memphis, Pitt, St. John's, Indiana and Oklahoma) also declined to participate in this year's installment.

Enter Tom Crean.

Tom Crean in his time with the Georgia Bulldogs :: © Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

The former head coach at Marquette, Indiana and Georgia served as an analyst on the NIT bracket reveal on ESPN2 over the weekend, and he had some strong words for programs like Ole Miss that decided not to participate in this year's tournament, calling it "absolutely ridiculous."

"There's no question about it," Crean said. "I would wanna coach. I would wanna develop my team. You've got bigger staffs than you've ever had. There's plenty of time for the [transfer] portal. There's plenty of time to talk to recruits. There's plenty of time to negotiate NIL deals. 

"There's not plenty of time to play. There's not plenty of time to get your players on the floor and give them a chance to get better. There's not plenty of time for guys to continue to play that may never get to play again."

Crean did state, however, that while the decision is ultimately in the hands of each head coach, he believes an "opt out" model similar to college football bowl games would suffice in times like these.

Beard stated last week that while he values the role the NIT serves in the world of college basketball, he did not feel that the timing was right for his program to participate. He also cited the fact that some of the players on his roster are dealing with personal issues back home, further impacting his decision.

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Now, Beard and his staff will shift to offseason mode: recruiting and hitting the transfer portal.

"Firstly, I have a lot of experience and respect for the NIT," Beard said. "When I was with Coach [Bob] Knight, I learned the history of the NIT and everything it's done for college basketball and the history of the game all the way up until the current model. Simply, I think timing is everything and the timing's just not right for us to continue the season in any of these tournaments."

The Rebels last participated in the NIT under the leadership of former head coach Kermit Davis, falling to Louisiana Tech in the opening round of the tournament in 2021.