In the paint

BY STEVEN MARCUS

The Division I basketball landscape from Jamaica to Stony Brook is grim. At 10-8 (but falling), the St. John’s women may have the distinction, if you want to call it that, of being the only D-I with a winning record, but that is tempered by a 1-4 mark in the Big East. The SJU men’s team is 7-9, 1-4. Drive east and its gets worse. The Hofstra men are 4-12, 2-5 in the CAA, while the women are 3-13 and 1-4. Finally, Stony Brook’s men stand at 4-14 and 1-5 in America East, the women 6-11 and 1-3 in the conference. Add it all up and you get a collective record of 34-67. No March Madness around here.

BY STEVEN MARCUS

If there is anything less compelling than the NIT, it is the pre-season NIT. Excuse me, they now call it the NIT Tip-Off.

Too bad strikes by the TV writers and Broadway show union will not affect this coming to MSG next week. Whomever sells this as an exciting tournament is the Lying King.

This built for Syracuse production (that is the only name that might sell tickets) out did itself this year with New Jersey Institute of Technology (good thing it wasn't Southampton), High Point (a low point in name recognition) and Delaware State (not to be confused with the Delaware Hofstra plays).

The NIT was founded in 1938 by sportswriters. I think that was also the year they coined the term ink stained wretches.