Thanks for post and information. Also enjoyed many bus trips to watch BU. A memorable year is 1974 and Natiional Commissioners Invitational Tourney is St Louis.Only 8 teams in field. Joe Stowell coached a win over good Kansas State team. Second round and another bus trip only to lose in close game to USC. Bobby Knight coached Indiana to championship win over USC the next day.
My wife and I were in St. Louis for that game, though we went on our own. It was the first year of the tournament, which was actually named the Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament in it's first year in 1974. It was created by the NCAA as an attempt to "kill the NIT".
That was a fun tournament, played in the old wooden structured Checkerdome Arena.
The tournament featured teams that finished 2nd in their conferences, since the NCAA Tournament only took one team from each conference.
The teams were:
USC- who featured All American
Gus Williams who averaged 17.1 ppg over his 13 year NBA career and who had his number retired by the Seattle Supersonics
Arizona State- who feature All American
Lionel Hollins who averaged 11.6 ppg over an 11 year NBA career and who had his number retired by the Portland Trail Blazers
Toledo- who featured
Len Matuszek, who went on to a career as a 1st baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies and LA Dodgers
Indiana- who featured Bobby Knight as head coach and a very young team with no seniors. The team included Quinn Buckner, Steve Green, Scott May, Jim Crews, Kent Benson, and all the key players who would win the NCAA Championship in 1976.
Tennessee- who featured All American Ernie Grunfeld and 7-footer Len Kosmalski who both had NBA careers
SMU
And
Kansas State- the team that Bradley beat 68-64 in the first round. They were coached by legendary coach Jack Hartman, and featured starting point guard Lon Kruger, and his backup, a young Jim Molinari, as well as another future NBA player Chucky Williams.
As Scoretable said, Bradley played USC two nights later, and lost a close game 76-73. USC then lost to Indiana in the title game 85-60.
Bradley finished that season 20-8, including the 1-1 record in the tournament. Bradley, who finished 2nd to Louisville in the 1973-74 MVC season, did not have any real superstars. Here is the roster of that team-
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/bradley/1974.html#all_per_game
The
Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament was renamed the
National Commissioners Invitational Tournament in its second year in 1975, and was played in Louisville, KY. However, that same year the NCAA expanded the NCAA Tournament and started adding at-large teams. The 1975 National Commissioners Invitational Tournament was won by the MVC runner up Drake. But then the tournament was discontinued after 1975, since the expansion of the NCAA Tournament accomplished the NCAA's goal of weakening the NIT.