The CSUN men’s basketball team saw their hopes of a third NCAA tournament bid fall short in the quarterfinals of the Big West Basketball Championships on Thursday, March 13.
However, the Matadors’ season isn’t done yet as they have earned their first-ever bid into the National Invitation Tournament. It’s the first time CSUN has played in a postseason tournament game since their College Basketball Invitational appearance in the 2018-19 season.
The Matadors were placed into the San Francisco region of the NIT bracket, which features San Francisco, Utah Valley, San Jose State, Loyola Chicago, St. Bonaventure, Kent State, Stanford, and CSUN.
Interestingly enough, the Matadors are one of three Big West teams to be invited into the prestigious tournament with UC Riverside and UC Irvine joining them.
CSUN is set to face off against Stanford in their first-round NIT game on Tuesday, March 18. Historically, the Matadors haven’t had any success beating the Cardinal with Stanford holding a 7-0 record over CSUN.
Last season, CSUN fell to Stanford 88-79 in the season opener, but it’s nearly an entirely new program the Matadors will be facing. Led by Kyle Smith, who is in his first season at the helm of the program, the Cardinals are captained by Maxime Raynaud, an All-ACC First Team selection who leads the nation with 23 double-doubles and averages 20.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
It’s already been a season to remember for Andy Newman’s squad. The second-year CSUN head coach directed the Matadors to a 22-10 record, tying the school record for most wins in a season.
After the Matadors’ loss to UC Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, Newman reflected on what the season has meant to the squad.
“[I’m] really proud of our guys and the effort they gave and what they’ve done to this school, this program and for themselves,” Newman said. “Setting school records; that says a lot. It’s huge. The effort, tenacity, focus and the sacrifice to do something – like, it’s huge – and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The Matadors will hit the road to Palo Alto searching for their record breaking 23rd win and first win in school history vs. Stanford. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2 and tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
