Florida, Ohio State headline NIT field

Mar 17, 2008 - 2:40 AM INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- A year after headlining the college basketball world, Florida and Ohio State are left playing for pride.

The defending national champion and runner-up, Florida and Ohio State were both included in the National Invitation Tournament field, which was released on Sunday.

The absence of the Gators and the Buckeyes from the NCAA Tournament marked the first time since 1980 that both finalists failed to qualify the following season.

After winning back-to-back national championships the previous two seasons, Gators coach Billy Donovan was forced to reload with a number of freshmen this season, going 20-11 before losing to Alabama in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament.

Florida (21-11) is the second seed in the upper right half of the bracket, and will host seventh-seeded San Diego State (20-12) in the first round on Wednesday.

"We're extremely happy with the opportunity we have to continue our season in the NIT," Donovan said. "We look forward to continuing to develop and grow as a team."

On the other end of the bracket, Ohio State (19-13) in the top seed in the upper half. The Buckeyes were left with a big hole in the middle of their lineup after center Greg Oden moved on to the NBA, becoming the draft's top pick last June.

Ohio State appeared to be in line for an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament after ending the regular season with consecutive wins over ranked teams Purdue and Michigan State. However, the Buckeyes lost to the Spartans in the first round of the Big Ten Conference tournament.

In a first-round matchup, top-seeded Ohio State will host UNC Asheville (23-9) on Tuesday. The Bulldogs finished tied with Winthrop in the Big South Conference in the regular season.

"In postseason play every team is a quality opponent," Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said. "UNC Asheville will be another difficult test for our basketball team. We are fortunate to keep playing and have another chance to play on our home court at Value City Arena."

Due to the fact that Florida and Ohio State are on the opposite of the bracket, the two teams could meet in another title game for the second straight year.

The other three first seeds in the bracket are Syracuse (19-13), Arizona State (19-12) and Virginia Tech (19-12).

The top seed in the lower right half of the bracket, the Orange will host Robert Morris (26-7) on Wednesday. The Colonials won the Northeast Conference during the regular season.

One of the top teams snubbed by the NCAA Selection Committee despite twice beating Arizona during the regular season, Arizona State faces Alabama State (20-10) on Wednesday. The Sun Devils are the top seed in the same half of the bracket at Florida.

Virginia Tech will host Morgan State (21-10), which won the Mid-Eastern Conference regular-season title, on Wednesday.

Defending champion West Virginia earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament.