The state of Colorado could have three basketball teams in postseason play, either in the Field of 68 or as part of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) once conference tournaments settled. The odds are probably against the Colorado Buffaloes, the Colorado St. Rams and the Denver Pioneers from capturing their respective conference's automatic bids through conference tournaments, but the NIT would be the perfect landing spot for those schools should they fail as bubble teams.
Colorado made it to the semifinals of the NIT last year while Colorado State lost in the opening round. Over at NIT-ology, the Buffs are projected as a No. 2 seed in the NIT while the Rams make it into the NCAA Tournament as the Mountain West's fourth team. The Pioneers, however, are the first team out.
The Bracket Project, on the other hand, has all three schools making the NIT field. Colorado State makes it as a No. 2 seed ahead of Colorado at a No. 5 and Denver at a No. 8. In any projection, the Pioneers are potentially the weakest to make the field. A team that wins its conference's regular season title but fails to gain the automatic bid through the conference tournament would get the call over the Pioneers.
For more on the Buffaloes, visit Colorado blog Ralphie Report. Check out Mountain West Connection for more on the Rams and the rest of the Mountain West. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes as we approach the postseason.