2026 NIT Tournament: Full Schedule, Teams, and Everything to Know
The 88th National Invitation Tournament is officially set. The 2026 NIT bracket was announced tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET via the tournament's official social media channels, following the release of the NCAA Tournament field. The 32-team field tip off first round games Tuesday, March 17 — and for the first time in NIT history, the semifinals and championship will be played during Final Four weekend in Indianapolis.
2026 NIT Tournament Schedule
The full 2026 NIT schedule runs as follows across the ESPN family of networks:
| Round | Dates | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | Mar. 17–18 | Campus Sites | ESPN2/ESPNU |
| Second Round | Mar. 21–22 | Campus Sites | ESPN2/ESPNU |
| Quarterfinals | Mar. 24–25 | Campus Sites | ESPN2 |
| Semifinals | April 2 | Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis | ESPN |
| Championship | April 5 | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis | ESPN2 |
Historic First: NIT Shares Final Four Weekend
For the first time in the tournament's 88-year history, the NIT will be played alongside the NCAA Division I Men's Final Four during college basketball's biggest weekend. The NIT semifinals tip off April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET, with the championship following April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Fans can purchase a ticket for less than $45 on championship Sunday that grants access to three championship games in one venue — the NCAA Division II and Division III Men's Basketball National Championship games and the NIT Championship.
Teams Already In: Six Early Automatic Bids
Six teams had already secured NIT bids before tonight's selection announcement: Belmont, Liberty, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Navy, South Alabama, and Stephen F. Austin.
How the 32-Team NIT Field Is Selected
The 2026 NIT uses a three-tiered selection process. The ACC and SEC each receive two exempt bids going to their highest-ranked eligible teams by a composite of BPI, KPI, NET, KenPom, SOR, Torvik, and WAB metrics. The top non-NCAA Tournament team from each of the top 12 conferences by KenPom rating receives an exempt bid, and additional teams are selected by the NIT committee for the remaining at-large spots.
Regular-season conference champions that did not make the NCAA Tournament and carry an average ranking of 125 or better across the seven designated data metrics also earn an automatic bid. If a qualifying team opts out, the bid is eliminated rather than passed to the runner-up.
Where to Watch the NIT Tournament
All NIT games through the quarterfinals air across the ESPN family of networks and stream on ESPN+, with the semifinals on ESPN at Hinkle Fieldhouse and the championship on ESPN2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.
The full NIT bracket is now available on the tournament's official social media pages and on the NCAA website. First-round games at campus sites begin Tuesday, March 17.
