South Alabama was Sun Belt regular-season co-champions this season, finishing in a four-way tie with Troy, James Madison and Arkansas State, but earning the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament. The Jaguars (21-11) lost in the semifinals of the Sun Belt tournament, with Troy winning and claiming the league’s sole “March Madness” bid.

South Alabama coach Richie Riley explained the situation to AL.com, too. Riley said the Jaguars were offered a spot for NIT on Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. South Alabama ended up getting the invite because UC Riverside, who had received the invite first, had to decline to play in the College Basketball Invitation.

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