The 2023 NIT Season Tip-Off tournament features a couple of teams who are looking to improve upon a disappointing season (Oregon State and Florida) and a couple of others who are looking to stay the course and return to the NCAA Tournament (Pittsburgh and Baylor). These games will take place at the Barclays Center so the atmosphere should be a good one for games.
2023 NIT Season Tip-Off
Dates: November 22nd and November 24th
Location: Barclays Center | Brooklyn, New York
Broadcast: ESPN
Pittsburgh
The Panthers are coming off its first tournament appearance since 2016 thanks to coach Jeff Capel’s patience and recruiting. The recruiting for this year is solid once again with four freshmen coming in and a few transfers joining the team. Their returners in the Diaz Graham twins and Federiko Federiko (yes, that is his name) will have the front court shored up with the backcourt needing to get filled out by the new faces on the squad.
Oregon State
The OSU Beavers finished with only 11 wins last year, but should hopefully be improved. They return their top scorer in Jordan Pope and they have several returners who saw serious minutes last year. Hopefully by gaining a year of experience with a bunch of freshmen and sophomores, this team will look much better in the PAC12 (or PAC2 depending on who you ask).
Florida
The Gators are probably the biggest mystery here as it returns a few key players in Riley Kugel (a popular name for the upcoming NBA Draft), Denzel Aberdeen, and Will Richard. However, Todd Golden and his staff brought in a ton of transfer talent, specifically in the frontcourt in EJ Jarvis (Yale) and Tyrese Samuel (Seton Hall). The freshmen class was also a big one so getting on the same page early will be crucial.
Baylor
The Bears finished a “disappointing” third in the Big 12 last season, but did win its first round game in the NCAA Tournament. Energizer bunny and big man Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua will be back from his injury along with a few new faces in Jayden Nunn (VCU), and top-20 freshman Ja’Kobe Walter who is getting hype as a lottery pick. The guard play will look different with LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler gone, but the wing play should be solid with Jalen Bridges back for another go-round.
