Texas Southern will attempt to stretch its winning streak to 10 games when the Tigers face surprising Cal Poly in a Midwest Region first-round game at the NCAA tournament Wednesday at Dayton. Texas Southern won the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament to gain an NCAA bid for the fifth time and first since 2003 while fellow 16th seed Cal Poly makes its first appearance in the Big Dance after winning the Big West. The winner takes on top seed Wichita State on Friday in St. Louis.

Boston University will host a game in the NIT for the first time Wednesday when it takes on Illinois in the first round. The Terriers, a No. 7 seed and the only lower seed to host a game, missed out on an automatic bid for the NCAA tournament when it fell at home to American in last week's Patriot League final. "I think our guys are excited," coach Joe Jones told the media of his team, which captured the Patriot League regular-season crown.

After bowing out of the Big Ten tournament in the first round, Penn State looks to end its season on a high note in the College Basketball Invitational, hosting Hampton in the first round Wednesday. The Nittany Lions lost four of their last six games to finish the regular season and are looking at the CBI as a chance to grow. "The team is grateful for a chance to continue practicing together," coach Patrick Chambers told reporters, "and ultimately having a chance to compete for a championship."

It's not every year a team that tied for second in the SEC ends up in the NIT, but that was Georgia's fate despite winning nine of its final 12 games. The Bulldogs, seeded No. 2 in Region 4, host seventh-seeded Vermont in the opening round Wednesday. Georgia only has two players with experience beyond the SEC tournament, so coach Mark Fox is excited for his young squad to play on one of college basketball's biggest stages, even if it's not the NCAA tournament.

Texas A&M looks to bounce back from a 91-83 double-overtime loss to Missouri in the SEC tournament when it hosts Wyoming in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational on Wednesday. The Aggies began conference play with so much promise, reeling off three consecutive victories before losing six of their next seven games. "We're excited to be playing in the postseason considering all the challenges we had this season," coach Billy Kennedy told reporters.

Late-season upsets left No. 1 Southern Methodist and No. 8 UC Irvine in the NIT, and the teams will meet for the first time Wednesday at SMU's Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs had won 12 of 14 games before falling to NCAA tournament qualifiers Louisville and Memphis to end the regular season, but a loss to Houston in the AAC tournament semifinals sealed their fate. The Anteaters won the Big West regular-season title but were upset by eventual tournament champ Cal Poly in the semis.

Two teams that ended the regular season going in different directions meet when Iowa faces Tennessee on Wednesday in Dayton to start play in the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Regional. Tennessee makes its 20th appearance after winning six of its last eight and the Volunteers gave No. 1 Florida trouble in the SEC semifinals while Iowa dropped six of its last seven before getting its first bid since 2006. The winner of the game between two No. 11 seeds plays Massachusetts on Friday in Raleigh, N.C.

For the second time in three seasons, LSU heads to the west coast to play a first-round NIT game when it faces San Francisco on Wednesday. The Tigers, playing in the NIT for the seventh time in school history, are hoping for a much better outcome this time around. LSU lost at Oregon 96-76 in 2012.

Like it or not, Craig Robinson's Oregon State Beavers have become perennial contenders in the College Basketball Invitational. After another disappointing Pac-12 campaign, Oregon State will host Radford in the 16-team tournament which it last won in 2009. This is the fourth time in the CBI's seven-year existence that the Beavers have been in the field.

Motivation could be the key factor Wednesday when No. 7 seed Utah Valley visits second-seeded California in the first round of the NIT. The Golden Bears were understandably disappointed after a loss to Colorado in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals cost them an NCAA tournament berth, but will need to regroup in time to face a veteran Utah Valley squad. The teams share a common opponent in Oregon, with Utah Valley losing 69-54 on Nov. 19 and California winning 96-83 on Jan. 9 - both in Oregon.