sport 1970 national invitation tournament
The history of ___MASK8___ is traced back to a YMCA International Training School , known today as Springfield College , located in Springfield , Massachusetts . The sport was created by a physical education teacher named James Naismith , who in the winter of 1891 was given the task of creating a game that would keep track athletes in shape and that would prevent them from getting hurt a lot . The date of the first formal ___MASK8___ game played at the Springfield YMCA Training School under Naismith ' s rules is generally given as December 21 , 1891 . ___MASK8___ began to spread to college campuses by 1893 . The ___MASK9___ ( NCAA ) is a non - profit association which regulates athletes of 1 , 281 institutions , conferences , organizations , and individuals . It also organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada , and helps more than 450 , 000 college student - athletes who compete annually in college sports . The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis , Indiana . In 2014 , the NCAA generated almost a billion dollars in revenue . 80 to 90 % of this revenue was due to the Men ' s Division I ___MASK8___ Tournament . This revenue is then distributed back into various organizations and institutions across the United States . The NIT Season Tip - Off is an annual college ___MASK8___ tournament that takes place in November of each year , towards the beginning of the season . The first two rounds are held at campus sites , while the semifinals and the finals are held during the week of Thanksgiving in New York City . ___MASK8___ is a sport that is played by two teams of five players on a rectangular court . The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop in diameter and mounted at a height of to backboards at each end of the court . The game was invented in 1891 by Dr . James Naismith , who would be the first ___MASK8___ coach of the Kansas Jayhawks , one of the most successful programs in the game ' s history . Madison Square Garden ( often called MSG or simply The Garden ) is a multi - purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan . Located in Midtown Manhattan between 7th and 8th Avenues from 31st to 33rd Streets , it is situated atop Pennsylvania Station . It is the fourth venue to bear the name " Madison Square Garden ", the first two ( 1879 and 1890 ) of which were located on Madison Square , on East 26th Street and Madison Avenue , with the third Madison Square Garden further uptown at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street . The Garden is used for professional ___MASK8___ and ice hockey , as well as boxing , concerts , ice shows , circuses , professional wrestling and other forms of sports and entertainment . It is close to other midtown Manhattan landmarks , including the Empire State Building , Koreatown , and Macy ' s at Herald Square . It is home to the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League , the New York Knicks of the National ___MASK8___ Association , and residency to singer - songwriter Billy Joel . The 1970 National Invitation Tournament was unique in that coach Al McGuire of Marquette University , unhappy with his team ' s placement , turned down a bid to the NCAA tournament and elected to play in the NIT instead . His Marquette Warriors went on to claim the championship . This tournament represented the final college games for LSU great Pete Maravich , the NCAA ' s all - time leading scorer . Maravich finished his three - year career with 3 , 667 points , 44 . 2 per game , records which stand as of the 2008 - 09 season , despite the reinstitution of freshman eligibility and the introduction of the shot clock and 3 - point shot . It was LSU ' s only postseason appearance between 1954 and 1979 . The Naismith Memorial ___MASK8___ Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame , located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield , Massachusetts . It serves as the sport ' s most complete library , in addition to promoting and preserving the history of ___MASK8___ . Dedicated to Canadian physician and inventor of the sport James Naismith , it was opened and inducted its first class in 1959 . Alfred Emanuel McGuire ( September 7 , 1928  January 26 , 2001 ) was the head coach of the Marquette University men ' s ___MASK8___ team from 1964 to 1977 . He won a national championship at Marquette and was later inducted into the Naismith Memorial ___MASK8___ Hall of Fame in 1992 . He was also well known as a longtime national television ___MASK8___ broadcaster and for his colorful personality . The National Invitation Tournament ( NIT ) is a men ' s college ___MASK8___ tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ). There are two NIT events each season . The first , played in November and known as the NIT Season Tip - Off ( formerly the Preseason NIT ), was founded in 1985 . The second , the original NIT , is a post - season tournament played in March and April that is now called the NIT  it was founded in 1938 . In both cases , the final rounds of the tournament are played at Madison Square Garden in New York City . In both common and official use , " NIT " or " National Invitation Tournament " refers to the post - season tournament unless otherwise qualified . Both the pre - and post - season tournaments were operated by the Metropolitan Intercollegiate ___MASK8___ Association ( MIBA ) until 2005 , when they were purchased by the NCAA .