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Virginia Basketball Set to Host Mississippi State in NIT

The Cavaliers will host the Bulldogs in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday at 7pm

Matt Newton

The Virginia Cavaliers have accepted a bid to play in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and will play No. 3 seed Mississippi State in the first round. 

Despite the Bulldogs being the higher-seeded team, UVA will host the first round game due to construction at Humphrey Coliseum at Mississippi State. Virginia will play Mississippi State in the first round on Wednesday at 7pm at John Paul Jones Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. 

Mississippi State is 18-15 overall and finished the regular season 10th in the SEC standings with a conference record of 8-10. This mark the first meeting between UVA and Mississippi State since 1988. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against UVA 2-1. 

This is UVA's 14th NIT appearance, but only the second time the Cavaliers have played in the NIT in the Tony Bennett era. Virginia last appeared in the NIT in 2013, beating Norfolk State and St. John's before falling to Iowa in the quarterfinals. 

Virginia has won the NIT two times in program history. Ralph Sampson led the Cavaliers to the NIT title in 1980 and Bryant Stith earned Tournament MVP honors when the Hoos won the NIT in 1992 by beating Notre Dame in overtime. 

2022 National Invitation Tournament Bracket
2022 National Invitation Tournament Bracket

2022 NIT Bracket

Top Left

No. 1 Dayton vs. Toledo

No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. Belmont

No. 3 Florida vs. Iona

No. 2 Xavier vs. Cleveland State

Bottom Left

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. Missouri State

No. 4 Colorado vs. St. Bonaventure

No. 3 Mississippi State vs. Virginia

No. 2 North Texas vs. Texas State

Top Right

No. 1 SMU vs. Nicholls

No. 4 Washington State vs. Santa Clara

No. 3 St. Louis vs. Northern Iowa

No. 2 BYU vs. Long Beach State

Bottom Right

No. 1 Texas A&M vs. Alcorn State

No. 4 Utah State vs. Oregon

No. 3 VCU vs. Princeton

No. 2 Wake Forest vs. Towson

2022 NIT Schedule

First Round: March 15-16

Second Round: March 19-20

Quarterfinals: March 22-23

Semifinals: March 29

Championship: March 31

The first round, second round, and quarterfinal games will be held at campus sites. The semifinals and championship will be held at Madison Square Garden. 

What are your predictions for Virginia's first-round NIT game against Mississippi State? Share your thoughts at Cavaliers Now Forums

See more Virginia men's basketball news and content: Virginia Men's Basketball on Sports Illustrated

See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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