The most anticipated NIT matchup in recent memory will have to wait another day to be played. The opening round game between Syracuse and UNC Greensboro at the Carrier Dome, scheduled for tonight, has been postponed because of the blizzard that has blanketed the upper Northeast with more than a foot of snow. “After consultation with Onondaga County and City of Syracuse authorities, as well as the NCAA and with fan and participant safety the top priority, tonight’s NIT game between Syracuse and UNCG has been postponed due to area weather conditions,” a university statement said. “It will be played Wednesday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ESPN2 will carry the game.” The matchup between two seemingly unlikely rivals has taken on added significance because of comments made by Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim last week in which he disparaged Greensboro by saying there was “no value” in the ACC holding its conference tournament there. His remark took on a life of its own when the city of Greensboro began taking pot shots at Boeheim and his team on Twitter. Although it appears as though the NIT selection committee did its own bit of trolling in pairing Boeheim’s Orange with a team from Greensboro, chairman Reggie minton insisted that the bracket was not manipulated because of the controversy. “We were matching teams against teams, not storylines against any other storylines,” Minton said. “And it’s the way it played out.” Syracuse, as one of the first four teams out, is the No. 1 seed in the top left quarter of the 32-team NIT bracket at 18-14. UNCG, which lost in the Southern Conference tournament final after winning the league’s regular season title, is 25-9 and the No. 8 seed.
