Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Hosts Akron Tuesday in NIT Opening-Round Matchup
3/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 11, 2012
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern hosts a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) game for the second straight year as the fourth-seeded Wildcats take on fifth-seeded Akron at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tip time is set for 8 p.m. The contest is being televised by ESPN2.
It is the seventh NIT appearance for Northwestern. This will be the first meeting between the Wildcats and the Zips.
Tickets are $20 for the general public and go on sale at 9 a.m. Monday via NUsports.com or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE. Season ticket holders can expect to receive a call beginning at 9 a.m. Monday. They will have until 5 p.m. Monday to reserve their regular seats.
Also, for the second straight year, head coach Bill Carmody and the men's basketball program are picking up the tab for Northwestern student tickets. Undergraduate students can now get in FREE with a valid WildCARD. There will be a ticket booth set up outside Welsh-Ryan Arena Tuesday night where students can pick up their ticket prior to the game.
The winner of Tuesday's contest advances to take on the winner of the game between top-seeded Washington and eighth-seeded Texas-Arlington.
Akron is 22-11 overall and went 13-3 in Mid-American Conference play, finishing in first place in the East Division. The Zips advanced to the MAC tournament championship game before dropping a 64-63 decision to Ohio.
Northwestern (18-13, 8-10 Big Ten) is making its school-record fourth-consecutive postseason appearance. The Wildcats advanced to the NIT quarterfinal round a year ago before falling at Washington State in overtime.
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