A quick look at last year’s NIT participants and their 2010 postseason improvement (or lack thereof). Of the 32 NIT participants last year, 10 qualified for the Big Dance currently underway. Two #1, #2, #3 and #4 seeds earned a spot at the Big Boys table, as well as one #5 seed and 1 #6 seed.

8 teams returned to the 2010 NIT tournament and 1 team, Duquesne was relegated to the CBI. Not exactly a resounding endorsement for the NIT but it could be worse. 13 teams failed to qualify for a tournament altogether including our very own sinking ship that is Penn State basketball captained by the all-incompetent Ed DeChellis. Even the players know when it’s time to abandon ship.

A 59% success rate for 2010 NIT participants in reaching the Big Dance guarantees that more than half of the 32 teams from 2009 found themselves in a postseason tournament the following year. But, in the 7 years we’ve been aboard the SS DeChellis, you discover he can even defy the odds to reach new lows.

There’s very little else I can say. At least 2 of our talented underclassmen have fled the program and a few more defections seem likely in the coming months. This season has been such an utter failure would be impossible to not improve next year. But if it meant providing more ammunition for Curley to prolong the DeChellis’ internship at Penn State, it is clearly not worth it. This program is stuck in neutral and there doesn’t seem to be help in sight. Disappointing to say the least.