If you can't keep it in your pants until Thursday, the National Invitation Tournament or NIT, as it is better known, begins Tuesday.

Unlike the NCAA, the NIT games are hosted in the top seeds' gym until the field gets down to the final four programs. This schedule provides some of the top-seeded teams a huge advantage and makes filling out your NIT bracket a tad easier than figuring out the field of 65.

However, other factors like motivation play a huge role in the NIT as well. A team like Illinois, who has a great home-court advantage, may be so bummed after missing out on the NCAA that it forgets to show up this week, providing bettors with some very live dogs.

Last year, I picked Baylor as my team to watch heading into the NIT. The Bears, a No. 3 seed, did me right by battling all the way to the final, where they lost to Penn State.

There are a few programs who could make it all the way to the Big Apple this March but the Cincinnati Bearcats jump out to me in the field of 32.

The No. 2-seeded Bearcats played very well to close out the season, knocking off Rutgers and Louisville in the Big East tournament before coming within a Da'Sean Butler bank shot of a birth in the conference semifinals.

Cincinnati has one of the most talented freshmen in the land leading the charge in Lance Stephenson, as well as gritty guards in Deonta Vaughn and Cashmere Wright. Forward Yancy Gates has also played well for the Bearcats, averaging almost 12 points during the Big East tournament.

Cincy is a 10.5-point home favorite to Weber State Wednesday. It could face Dayton or Illinois State in the second round, setting up a possible showdown with Illinois in the Region 1 final.

That said, who is your pick to go all the way in the NIT this year?