Morgan State seeded 8th in National Invitation Tournament
March 17, 2008
BALTIMORE, Md. - The Morgan State men's basketball team will be the eighth seed in the 71st annual National Invitation Tournament. The Bears will face top-seed and host Virginia Tech on Wednesday, March 19th at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised live on ESPN Classic.
 The winner of Wednesday night's game will face the winner of the VCU-UAB game, to be played Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Richmond. Time and location of second-round games will be announced at a later date.
This will be Morgan State’s first Division I postseason appearance in school history.
Morgan State enters the game 22-10 overall record and recorded their first regular season championship in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) by finishing with a 13-2 conference mark. The Bears advanced to the MEAC championship for the first time since 1977 before falling to #7 seed and cross-town rival Coppin State, 62-60, on Saturday night.
The Bears are led by senior center Boubacar Coly and MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, who is averaging 11.1 rebounds per game (4th in the nation) and junior swingman Marquise Kately, who is averaging 12.8 points per game. Morgan State led the MEAC in scoring defense (61.4) and rebounding (+4.9) this season.
Second year MSU coach Todd Bozeman earned the MEAC Coach of the Year award and senior Jamar Smith was selected as the MEAC Player of the Year. Smith, who averaged 17 ppg and 5.6 rpg, did not play in the MEAC championship game due to a foot injury.
Virginia Tech enters the game 19-13 overall and finished fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 9-7 league mark. The Hokies advanced to the semifinals of the 2008 ACC Tournament before falling to #1 North Carolina, 68-66, on Saturday afternoon.
The Hokies are led by junior wing player A.D. Vassallo, who is averaging 16.6 points per game and senior wing Deron Washington, who is averaging 12.4 points per game. Tech led the ACC in scoring defense this season and has outrebounded its opponents in 25 of its 32 games this season.
Virginia Tech holds a 4-0 record against the Bears and last defeated Morgan State (77-49) in Blacksburg during the 2006 season.
ESPN will provide television coverage for every game of the 2008 MasterCard NIT.
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