For a brief time on Sunday, it appeared South Alabama’s 2024-25 men’s basketball season would continue. Instead, the Jaguars are sitting home.

South Alabama coach Richie Riley told AL.com that Sun Belt Conference commissioner Keith Gill and NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt called him around 9:30 p.m. Sunday with an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament. UC Riverside had also received an NIT invitation, but had first committed to play in the College Basketball Invitation, a less-prestigious tournament.

However, roughly an hour later, Riley was informed that UC Riverside had wriggled free of its CBI obligation and would be in the NIT after all. The Jaguars were now out.

Riley said he already informed the South Alabama players they were headed to the NIT when he received the second call from Gill and Gavitt. He then had to tell them Monday morning their season was over.

“(Gill) said ‘We’ve had something happen; do you guys want to be in the NIT?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, it’d be awesome,” Riley said. “And so we talked for a few more minutes. I said ‘this is 100%, we’re in, right?’ And they said ‘yeah congratulations. I’m glad you were able to get in.’

“… I tell them, ‘I’m gonna tell my guys.’ They’re like ‘go ahead.’ So I tell the team. (Gill and Gavitt) call back, whatever time it was, 10:45, 11 o’clock. Dan’s like ‘no, UC Riverside is back in. I hate that we had to do this.’

“This is unacceptable. You can’t do that.”

Gavitt released a statement through the NIT, acknowledging the botch invitational process and apologizing to Riley, South Alabama and its players for the “emotional impact this confusion created.”

Gill also released a statement through the Sun Belt office:

“As the top remaining at-large team not selected to the original field, South Alabama was prematurely contacted by the NIT on Sunday as a potential replacement team to fill out the 32-team bracket. With all 32 teams accepting their NIT invitations, this opportunity did not materialize. We regret the emotional impact this chain of events had on South Alabama’s student-athletes and want to congratulate Sun Belt Coach of the Year Richie Riley and his team on a historic season, including a Sun Belt regular-season co-championship.”

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.

Arkansas State, which was ranked higher than South Alabama in both the RPI and NET metrics, is also headed to the NIT. The Jaguars beat the Red Wolves twice during the regular season, but lost to them in the Sun Belt semifinals.

Four teams from the state of Alabama made the NCAA tournament — Alabama and Auburn as at-large selections, Troy and Alabama State as conference tournament champions. Four others made the NIT: Jacksonville State, North Alabama, Samford and UAB.

Riley and South Alabama athletics department officials had already decided the Jaguars weren’t going to play in the CBI or any other “pay-for-play” postseason tournament. It was “NIT or bust,” Riley said.

But after the debacle with the NIT bid, the Jaguars are now done for the season.

“It’s just unfair for our players,” Riley said. “We’ve got a team with zero NIL. They’re a bunch of underdogs that fought their asses off. And now I have to tell them they’re not in the NIT. It’s just an absolute joke.”

South Alabama athletics director Joel Erdmann told AL.com the school would have its own statement shortly.