Although Albany has only one regular-season title in its 15-year Division I history, the Great Danes have turned into a regular visitor to the NCAA tournament. They will attempt to secure their first ever NCAA tournament victory Tuesday against fellow No.16 seed Mount St. Mary’s in a first-round game in Dayton, Ohio. Albany earned its fourth automatic bid in the last nine seasons by winning six of their final seven, knocking off the two 20-win teams in the American East tourney in the process.

St. John's looks to shake off the disappointment of missing the NCAA tournament when it hosts Robert Morris in Tuesday's first round of the NIT. The Red Storm had their bubble burst in the 79-74 loss to Providence in the Big East tournament quarterfinals, but are looking on the bright side after being selected for the postseason for the third time in the last four years. "Our team is looking forward to participating in the NIT," coach Steve Lavin told reporters.

After missing out on an NCAA tournament bid, Florida State was awarded a No. 1 seed in the NIT and will host eighth-seeded Florida Gulf Coast in the opening round Tuesday in Tallahassee, Fla. The Seminoles fell to Virginia in the ACC tournament quarterfinals after getting past Maryland in a second-round matchup. "This is a great opportunity for our team to continue playing and to gain experience in a postseason tournament," coach Leonard Hamilton said of the NIT.

West Virginia and Georgetown carried realistic NCAA tournament hopes into mid-February, but each lost five of its final seven contests to end up in the NIT. Georgetown hosts West Virginia on Tuesday in a first-round matchup of former Big East rivals that posted several marquee victories this season. The fourth-seed Hoyas own wins over Michigan State, Virginia Commonwealth and Creighton, while the fifth-seed Mountaineers beat Kansas, Iowa State and Oklahoma.

Minnesota was on the outside looking in when it came to the NCAA tournament and now attempts to make a run in the NIT, beginning with Tuesday’s home game against eighth-seeded High Point. The Golden Gophers earned a No. 1 seed in the 32-team field and are aiming for the school’s second NIT title game appearance in three seasons. The Tubby Smith-coached team of two seasons ago reached the championship game before being routed 75-51 by Stanford.

Disappointed to be missing the NCAA tournament, Arkansas will host Indiana State in a first-round NIT game Tuesday in Fayetteville, Ark. The Sycamores might have a little more intensity at the start, but it remains to be seen whether they can handle the Razorbacks' pressure. Arkansas is 16-2 at home, the losses coming to Florida and Missouri.

Missouri coach Frank Haith hopes to make the most of the second-seeded Tigers' appearance in the NIT, which begins with a home game Tuesday against No. 7 Davidson in the first round of the Minneapolis Region. "When you're on that bubble and you don't get into the NCAA tournament, it is disappointing," Haith said during Monday's teleconference. "But we are a young team. We only have one senior, so my approach is, 'Guys, it's a chance for us to continue to grow and get better as a team.'"

Schools that made serious runs at the NCAA tournament but are still excited to be playing square off in the NIT's first round Tuesday when Sun Belt Conference regular-season champ Georgia State visits Clemson. The Panthers, denied an automatic NCAA tourney bid because of an 82-81 overtime loss to Louisiana-Lafayette in the conference tournament final, are making just their second postseason appearance in 12 years.

North Carolina State’s NCAA tournament hopes hung by a thread about two weeks ago, but that was before T.J. Warren went on a historic scoring spree. Warren, who looks to guide his team past fellow No. 12 seed Xavier on Tuesday in a first-round matchup in Dayton, Ohio, averaged 31.2 points over the his last five contests – including consecutive 40-point games. As a result, the Wolfpack won four of their final five after enduring a 1-4 stretch following a home loss to Miami (Fla.) on March 1.

Utah's longshot hopes of earning a berth in the NCAA tournament ended with a thrashing at the hands of Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament. The Utes, who started the season 9-1, will set their sites on a run in the NIT when they visit Saint Mary's in a first-round game Tuesday night. Utah finished the season just 2-8 on the road.