Georgia's fight to play this season is over after the players decided to head home for spring break Friday and not stay through the weekend to see if they could win an injunction Monday to force the school to let them play in the postseason.

Even if they stayed, they don't have anywhere to play after the NIT followed the NCAA Tournament selection committee's lead Thursday and told ESPN.com that it would only invite eligible teams Sunday night. NIT executive director Jack Powers said the NIT wouldn't hold open a spot to see if the Bulldogs were forced to play.

Georgia interim coach James Holland said the Bulldogs haven't practiced all week and there were no plans to conduct any workouts until after the players return from spring break.

But attorney Doug McKillip, who represents starters Ezra Williams and Steven Thomas, told ESPN.com that the cause "isn't totally lost,'' and that they still plan on showing up on Monday in an Athens, Ga., courtroom. He said he wasn't just going to court to win on principle, still holding out hope that one of the tournaments would change its mind.

The lawyers for Williams and Thomas are hoping that the judge will grant a temporary injunction to allow the Bulldogs to be selected for the tournament.

Judge David Sweat denied a temporary restraining order Wednesday but scheduled the hearing for Monday morning. That would be too late for Georgia, since the SEC tournament will be completed Sunday and the NCAA Tournament field will be announced later that day. The chair of the NCAA Tournament selection committee resisted a request Wednesday by lawyers for two Georgia basketball players to keep the ineligible Bulldogs on standby for the NCAA Tournament.

McKillip told ESPN.com that he hoped to get the NCAA to pick an alternate at-large team that would be replaced by Georgia if the Bulldogs' attempt to regain eligibility was granted.

When asked whether there was any possibility of having an alternate team selected for the NCAA Tournament based on how the lawsuit turns out, selection committee chairman Jim Livengood said Wednesday it would be "impossible."

Livengood, the Arizona athletics director, said that the committee would only select eligible teams Sunday for the bracket. Georgia is not eligible for the tournament because the school has notified the NCAA that it would not participate.

"The bracket we put out Sunday night is the one we intend to play Tuesday (with the play-in game), Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of next week," Livengood said. "We will deal only with eligible teams."

The NIT, which also selects its field Sunday night, has confirmed that it cannot invite Fresno State, Georgia or Michigan since each school is ineligible for the postseason -- NCAA included.

"If we reserved a spot for them depending on how the hearing goes, that's not fair to the other teams who brought their players back to practice," NIT executive director Jack Powers said. "I do feel bad for the Georgia kids. It's ridiculous."

Georgia withdrew from the SEC and NCAA tournaments Monday after an investigation showed evidence of academic fraud by players. The suit filed on behalf of Williams and Thomas names the university, the board of regents and the university athletics association.

"It's up to the NCAA for them to be picked but this way they could keep the last bubble team on hold. If the courts order them to go then it's a viable option," McKillip said. "We just want our name in the hat."

SEC rules are clear for its tournament. Under its bylaws, an SEC spokesperson said only teams eligible for the NCAA Tournament can participate in the SEC tournament. The SEC doesn't allow an ineligible team, like the Big Ten is doing with Michigan this week, to participate in its tournament. The SEC re-seeded its tournament, which starts Thursday in New Orleans, and gave Tennessee a bye in the 11-team field.

SEC spokesman Charles Bloom said it would have been difficult to juggle the brackets again.

There are no NCAA rules that require a team must play in a conference tournament to be selected to the NCAA Tournament. The Ivy League doesn't play a conference tournament and its teams could be invited to the NCAAs.

McKillip said the complaint filed Wednesday was seeking to force Georgia to participate in the SEC tournament. McKillip said he understood that the NCAA Tournament is by invitation-only, but that Georgia's top-25 ranking in both major polls means the school would likely be invited.

He said the two players approached him and fellow attorney Bill Claxton about representation. He said they were filing their claim on the basis that under state law, they are entitled to a hearing but the school made a unilateral decision to "sacrifice this year's team for less sanctions down the road."

He said the denial of a temporary injunction Wednesday was based on the state law that it has to give five days' notice to enforce a rule.

"The judge said he couldn't do it today, would put it on hold and hear it Monday morning at 9 a.m.," McKillip said. "We're hoping for the best. We're hoping they see that these players were exploited and offered up like sacrificial lambs for future NCAA Tournaments by Georgia. Ezra Williams was denied his last chance to showcase his talent. I hope they're practicing."

The lawyers who represent the two players are assuming that if the judge rules in their favor, all of the eligible Bulldogs would be allowed to play. Georgia players Rashad Wright and Chris Daniels are ineligible based on the findings of academic fraud but Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley said Monday that they could try and regain their eligibility.

Georgia (19-8, 11-5 SEC, No. 22 ESPN/USA Today, No. 21 AP) was certain to receive a third straight invitation to the NCAA Tournament, which would have been the longest such streak in school history.

On Monday, school president Michael Adams and athletics director Vince Dooley announced that the Bulldogs' season was over because two players committed academic fraud in a class taught by coach Jim Harrick's son.

Dooley said the school has found no evidence that Harrick was directly involved. Jim Harrick Jr., an assistant coach, was fired last week. Harrick Sr. was suspended with pay Monday, and sources have told ESPN.com that Harrick expects to be fired. A dismissal would not occur until Georgia's investigation is complete.

The investigation was sparked by former player Tony Cole, who was kicked off the team last year. He accused Harrick Jr. of paying his bills, doing schoolwork and teaching the sham class on coaching.

The allegations first surfaced Feb. 27 in an ESPN interview with Cole.

Cole said he never attended the coaching class but received an A. Two other players -- starters Daniels and Wright -- were also in the class and got As. They were declared ineligible Monday for academic fraud and unethical conduct.

On Tuesday, junior guard Jarvis Hayes announced he will enter the NBA draft.

University of Georgia students held a rally in support of the basketball program outside the office of school president Michael Adams on Wednesday afternoon, but only an estimated 150-200 participated.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.