North Texas Mean Green’s Unusual NIT Quarterfinal Road Trip: A Scheduling Snafu
In the world of college basketball, where every game can be a make-or-break moment, the North Texas Mean Green men’s basketball team found themselves in an unusual predicament this season. Two opponents have bested them, and while one was an in-state rival, the other was a rather unexpected adversary—a staff appreciation lunch.
Yes, you read that right. A university-scheduled luncheon forced the Mean Green to hit the road for their NIT quarterfinal game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Tuesday, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle. Despite their previous NIT appearances, including a 2023 championship win, the university didn’t anticipate the need to reserve the UNT Coliseum, affectionately known as the Super Pit, for postseason play.
North Texas athletic director Jared Mosley explained to the Record-Chronicle that the school explored alternative venues but came up empty-handed. “There is no guarantee even if the staff appreciation luncheon could have been moved that we would have been selected to host due to other planning the NIT does and not knowing if television would have slotted our game for Tuesday or Wednesday,” Mosley said.
Here’s a truly insane story: North Texas can’t play an NIT quarterfinal game at home because the school scheduled a faculty luncheon.
Don’t see that in big-time athletics. https://t.co/QHFVH4elua
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) March 25, 2025
In a statement provided to ESPN, North Texas also mentioned a dance competition scheduled for later in the week. However, that event doesn’t begin until Friday, leaving ample time to prepare for the American Dance and Drill Team championship at the Super Pit, even if North Texas hosted a game on Wednesday.
It seemed almost certain that the two-seed Mean Green would host the quarterfinal game on campus, especially after the top-seeded SMU Mustangs were eliminated. But just before North Texas’ victory against Arkansas State on Sunday, the scheduling conflict was reported, marking the win against the Red Wolves as the final home game of the season. The NIT semifinals and finals are set to take place at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse.
It’s not just the men’s team that faced inconvenience—the women’s team, under second-year coach Jason Burton, is also among the 16 left in the WNIT. Burton voiced his concerns about the scheduling issues, stating, “We gotta get to the point where we block it off. Because the men should be playing at home. We should have the opportunity to play at home in these tournaments.”
This isn’t the first time a basketball team has been unable to use its home arena in the NIT. In 2010, Illinois couldn’t host an NIT game due to Cirque du Soleil being in town. More recently, NYU’s men’s and women’s teams are trading court usage in the Division III tournament.
- Illinois faced a similar issue in 2010 due to Cirque du Soleil.
- NYU’s teams are currently managing court usage in the Division III tournament.
For a team in a Power Four conference, hosting an NIT game might not be a top priority. However, for mid-majors like North Texas, the NIT is the most prestigious postseason option available if they don’t win their conference tournament.
Despite the lack of home-court advantage, North Texas triumphed in the NIT. The Mean Green survived a late comeback to beat Oklahoma State on Tuesday night 61-59, with guard Atin Wright leading the team with 15 points.
Scheduling issues will soon be another coach’s concern. After two successful years at North Texas, men’s coach Ross Hodge is set to take the vacancy at West Virginia, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello on Wednesday. He will take over after North Texas concludes its NIT run. The Mean Green will face UAB or UC Irvine in the NIT semifinals on April 1.
Hopefully, Hodge won’t have to worry about dining tables interrupting his schedule in Morgantown next season.
Originally Written by: Ben Baby
