The NIT stage allowed Robert Jones to lead Norfolk State University to one of his biggest wins as a head coach in 2019.
His 2019 team lost to North Carolina Central in the MEAC title game, but got a bid to take on Alabama in the NIT as it received an automatic bid to that tournament by winning the conference’s regular season title. His team did what it came to do, knocking off the SEC squad and giving his program momentum that has turned it into one of the most successful mid-major programs in America.
So you can understand why Jones was – at the very least – annoyed to hear that automatic bids for regular season winners are out the window at the NIT starting this season. Starting this spring, 12 teams from the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC will get in regardless of record.
“If you’re trying to eliminate the little man – just say so,” Jones told HBCU Gameday on Thursday. “It’s almost like, de-valuing the regular season. Because let’s face it, outside of Power Six if you don’t win the tournament in all these respective leagues – probably like 20 other respective leagues – no one’s getting an at-large bid, (in the) postseason.”
Jones says the new rule is just masquerading as though smaller programs have a chance to get into the field with the new rules.
“I’ve been around his game a long time. I tell you as much the 10th place team, the ACC – and I don’t know who it is this year – is probably just as good as the first-place MEAC team. I mean…I’ve been around this game a long time and we and we’ve seen it time and time again.”
That puts even more emphasis on Jones and Norfolk State to get back to the MEAC title game – for the fifth consecutive time – and win it as they did in 2021 and 2022.
NSU is currently 12-8 overall, 2-1 in MEAC play coming off a huge win over Howard on Saturday. The win was the 200th in Jones’ career as he took over the program as head coach before the 2013-14 season. A few more wins this season and he’ll have his 11th-consecutive winning season as head coach.
Now with two MEAC titles under his belt, Jones says that being good isn’t always enough when it comes to getting a coveted bid to the NCAA, even when you play in your backyard. (The MEAC Tournament is played at the Norfolk Scope.)
“You need the ball to bounce the right way. You need matchups to happen in the right way,” Jones said. “You know, good is just one part of the equation. Luck is the other part of the equation. To be lucky. So we’ll see what happens.”