UConn’s basketball season is not over, despite a disappointing 62-54 loss to SMU in the American Athletic Conference championship game at the XL Center Sunday.
A victory Sunday would have put the Huskies (20-14) in the NCAA tournament with the AAC automatic bid. Instead, the Huskies have accepted an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament and received a No. 4 seed. UConn will open play against No. 5 Arizona State (17-15) Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN2) at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs.
UConn coach Kevin Ollie said his players should not have any problem getting motivated.
“Why?” Ollie said before pairings were announce. “You put on a UConn jersey. If you can’t get gear up, then I don’t want you on my team. It’s important when you put that jersey on and that’s my message.”
Temple and Tulsa join the Huskies from the American Athletic Conference in the NIT field. SMU and Cincinnati were the only AAC players to reach the NCAA tournament. Temple received a No. 1 seed and will play Bucknell in the first round. Tulsa, which UConn defeated in the AAC semifinals, is a No. 2 seed and opens against William & Mary.
“You lose, you go home,” Ollie said. “That’s what you get out of it. It’s experience. As a man, you grow up, you have experiences. Your mama whoop you and you go back and you learn from it. It’s just like everything in life. There’s no next day. So these guys are learning from it.”
For all the information on the field and the bracket, click here.
Here is the ticket information for Wednesday’s game, from UConn athletics:
Tickets for Wednesday night’s first round game vs. Arizona State are priced at $10 apiece and $4 for UConn students.
UConn Club members and Husky season tickets holders can purchase tickets at UConnTickets.com during an exclusive time period of Sunday night through Monday at noon.
Tickets to the general public will go on sale Monday at noon at UConnTickets.com and will have the ability to select their seats and print tickets at home. Tickets can also be purchased by visiting the UConn Ticket Office in Storrs or by calling the UConn Ticket Office at 1-877-AT-UCONN from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
UConn students can purchase tickets at the box office in Storrs, including game night.
Parking at the North and South Garages will be available for $5 on Wednesday night, which is paid upon entry to the garage.
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