NIT: Was UCLA snubbed?

After all the UCLA men’s basketball team has been through this season, now comes this: The Bruins were left out of the NIT, the tournament in which 32 teams that didn’t make the cut for the 68-squad NCAA tournament finish out their seasons.

It was a disappointing year for the Bruins, who were a preseason pick to win the Pac-12. But they finished tied for fifth in the conference, the only team in the top seven not to make either tournament.

Their 19-14 record gave them the same number or more wins than six NIT teams and the same number or fewer losses than four NIT teams.

Clearly an NCAA bid was out of the question, but The Times’ Chris Foster reported that the Bruins seemed eager for an NIT invitation. Following UCLA’s loss to Arizona in the Pacific Life Pac-12 tournament, Coach Ben Howland indicated that he would accept an NIT invitation. Obviously, things did not turn out that way.

So what do you think? Was UCLA snubbed by the NIT? Or was it an appropriate ending to the season? Or does it matter? After all, this is the NIT we’re talking about.

Vote in the poll, then leave a comment explaining why you voted the way you did.

RELATED:

UCLA’s Ben Howland sounds like a man in control

Washington, Arizona among top-seeded teams in NIT

UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero: Life in a very public eye