Smith Says: Men’s basketball should not play in NIT to prepare for next season

The Bruins probably aren’t making it to the NCAA tournament.

However, a strong finish to conference play and a couple wins in the Pac-12 tournament could help UCLA men’s basketball secure an invite to the National Invitational Tournament – a competition comprised of the 32 schools who came closest to making the cut.

While it sounds like fun to be competing for something in March, UCLA should steer clear of the NIT if given the opportunity to participate.

The Bruins have only participated in the NIT twice, and haven’t been back since the 1985-1986 season in which they were ousted by UC Irvine in the opening round the tournament.

UCLA’s other appearance came the year before when former coach Walt Hazzard led the Bruins to a three-point victory over Indiana in the title game at Madison Square Garden in his first season with the program.

This season’s team has had to endure a year full of obstacles, including embarrassing home losses leading to the firing of former coach Steve Alford, as well as numerous injuries to players who were supposed to be key contributors – such as freshmen guard Tyger Campbell and forward Shareef O’Neal.

For those reasons, extending the season for as much as three weeks to play in a tournament that is mostly considered irrelevant, could end up being a mistake that costs the Bruins down the line.

First, it is no secret that interim coach Murry Bartow won’t be retained beyond this season, so why would UCLA want to delay the start of the searching process?

There is too much riding on the next coaching hire, and spending time in the NIT while other schools get a head start on their coaching searches is exactly what the Bruins can’t afford to let happen.

And although I’m sure Bartow would say he’d be excited to coach a few more games, it almost feels like a disservice to make a guy who was thrown into the fire midseason coach an extra tournament with little to no real significance.

The other key to this equation is the players.

Before the season, it was expected sophomore guards Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes would be headed to the NBA after their second year in Westwood. However, the lateral development of those two players could have them reconsidering the idea.

If that is the case, UCLA would be in line to have a much deeper and talented roster going into next season than it has had in the past two years. Rather than putting the players out on the floor for meaningless games and risking injury, the Bruins would be smart to let the season end and start looking forward to the next one.

It is also a possibility Hands and Wilkes would decide to sit out the NIT if they are still planning on leaving for the pros, which would leave UCLA with even fewer reasons to accept an invitation.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Player development and experience on the big stage is important, and the opportunities that would be created for guys like freshmen guards David Singleton and Jules Bernard should not be overlooked.

The players would most likely be excited to perform regardless of whether they play in the NCAA tournament or the NIT. The chance to play postseason competition only comes around so often and the players would embrace it.

However, if UCLA misses the NCAA tournament and all the chips fall in the right places, passing up on the NIT could be a game-changing move for the program in the long run.