Rick Pitino's St John's declines NIT tournament invitation after March Madness snub

Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino and his St. John`s Red Storm have been left out of this year's NCAA tournament. They did, however, get invited to the NIT Tournament instead, but the team isn`t interested in participating.

The veteran college hoops coach declined the NIT Tournament invitation after his team was left out despite ending their regular season strongly.

The Red Storm won six of their last seven games, including a win over the 15th-ranked Creighton Bluejays, who made the Big Dance.

St. John`s was a bubble team entering Selection Sunday, but was not selected by the committee. Here's Pitino`s statement on the snub (via Sports Illustrated:)

“First and foremost, we have great respect for the National Invitation Tournament and St. John’s storied history in the event.

"After thorough consideration of all that goes into postseason participation, we believe at this time it is best for our team and basketball program to prepare for next season."

Pitino added:

"We remain focused on building a championship-level program here at St. John’s. I would like to thank all our fans and look forward to the bright future ahead for St. John’s basketball.”

With the team declining the invitation to play in the NIT, St. John`s will sit out the entire postseason and work on preparing for next year.

Moreover, it marks the sixth straight year the Red Storm haven't made the NCAA tournament (via CBS Sports).

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Why was Rick Pitino's St. John`s snubbed out of the NCAA Tournament?

There were clearly a ton of factors that caused the Selection Committee to give St. John`s and Rick Pitino a wide berth for March Madness.

Pitino himself said that he was a little confused, as he believed his team`s NET 32 ranking and strength of schedule should have been enough for it to be considered.

Either way, Pitino`s wards are among several teams who got snubbed on Selection Sunday. That includes Seton Hall and Oklahoma, with the Sooners having had a far worse season and the Pirates having a relatively similar run.

It`s also some sort of a bitter ending to Rick Pitino`s inaugural run at St. John`s helm, with the year being described by the coach as tough for him personally.

For now, there's no immediately accessible information on what made the Selection Committee pass on the Red Storm this year.