The NIT Selection Committee was chaired by outgoing Mississippi State Assistant Groundskeeper Willy Simpleton.
"It was a tough job," Groundskeeper Willy explained. "We had a lot of teams to pick from and we feel we got the best 64. While it is our policy to not give direct answers or have publicly defined selection criteria, you can trust that our personal feelings in no way led to Ole Miss or anyone else we don't like getting a bum draw."
Other members of the committee included a physics professor from Slippery Rock, a home economics teacher from South Dakota, and a sales clerk at Target. While none of the committee members had actually seen a college baseball game, they were able to determine which teams would have their seasons continue in this hallowed classic dubbed "The Road to Quahog".