Loyola will represent the MAAC in the preseason NIT, for which the field was unveiled yesterday. The tournament has a big-time Jesuit flavor, with the Greyhounds opening at BC on Nov. 17, and with their Ignatian cousins from Chicago also in the tournament. 

Seven teams in the 16-team field played in the NCAA tournament last year, headlined by Stephen Curry and Davidson, fresh off their trip to the Elite Eight. And who do the Wildcats play in the first round? James Madison, in the Dukes' first game under new head coach Matt Brady.