Alabama Basketball Will Host Illinois in NIT Tournament

Hours after The University of Alabama announced that Anthony Grant would not return as head coach next season, the team received a 6-seed in the 2015 NIT Tournament. 

The Crimson Tide will be hosting Illinois despite being the lower seed. A facilities conflict means the game will be played in Tuscaloosa. The Fighting Illini finished 8th in the Big 10 with 19-13 overall record.

This will be Alabama's 12th trip to the NIT Tournament and 3rd in six years under Grant. The last came in 2013 when Alabama defeated Northeastern and Stanford before losing to Maryland in the quarterfinals. In 2011, Grant led his team to the championship game in Madison Square Garden before losing to Wichita State.

The tip time is set for 8 PM/CT on ESPN.