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Message: [QUOTE="hplare, post: 2544574, member: 545"] Back in the 40's and early 50's the NIT in the Garden was the [B]the [/B]tournament. The winner was considered the National Champion. The NCAA was almost an afterthought and, as a kid back then, I don't recall it drawing a lot of attention. Remember, there was no TV or media hype so playing in NYC in The Garden was a very big deal and where teams wanted to be. The biggest notice it ever received back then was the Kentucky point shaving scandal which certainly didn't add to its allure. The CCNY scandal in 1950-51 seriously damaged both the NIT's and the Garden's image. Press coverage had unsavory gamblers lurking in every smoke-filled corridor eager to prey on the players. The growth of TV and the NCAA's awakening of the monetary possibilities soon completely changed the landscape [/QUOTE]