In need of a team to take UC Riverside’s spot, South Alabama was brought in, but the Highlanders were able to get out of their CBI obligation and were available for the NIT. Because of that, the NCAA had to make a second call about an hour later to the Jaguars to inform them they were no longer invited.

South Alabama was Sun Belt regular-season co-champions this season, finishing in a four-way tie with Troy, James Madison and Arkansas State, but earning the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament. The Jaguars (21-11) lost in the semifinals of the Sun Belt tournament, with Troy winning and claiming the league’s sole “March Madness” bid.

However, UC Riverside got out of their commitment to the CBI and will indeed compete in the NIT. That caused the NIT to rescind their invite to South Alabama, who ended up getting their hopes up for nothing and will now see their season end prematurely.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (17-16) aim to build on a seven-game home win streak when they host the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (22-12) on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET. Below, we