Virginia missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013, but the Hoos aren’t done playing just yet. A few hours after the NCAA bracket was revealed, UVa heard its name called when the NIT announced its field of 32 teams on Sunday night.

UVa will open up NIT play on Wednesday night when they host the Mississippi State Bulldogs at JPJ (7 pm, ESPN2). MSU is actually the higher-seeded team in the matchup, but due to venue renovations taking place in Starkville following the completion of the regular season, the game will be played in Charlottesville. The winner of Wednesday’s game will play North Texas in the tournament’s second round this weekend.

Mississippi State went 18-15 in the regular season, finishing 8-10 in SEC play. There was some fringe bubble talk with the Bulldogs later in the season, but State couldn’t pull off a big win down the stretch despite several opportunities. MSU opened SEC Tournament play with a win over South Carolina before a 13-point loss to eventual league champion Tennessee in the quarterfinals.

UVa and MSU had a pair of common opponents this season, Louisville and Georgia. Both teams handled the Bulldogs, but UVa beat Louisville three times while MSU lost to the Cards 72-58 on Thanksgiving Day.