What is the NIT?
The NIT is postseason basketball's second stage. Strong teams miss March Madness yearly. The NIT invites the best of them.
The full name says it
NIT stands for National Invitation Tournament.
Invitations decide the whole field here.
Its field forms on Selection Sunday.
The NCAA field is announced first.
The NIT field follows the same day.
Both fields appear Sunday, March 14, 2027.
Losing your conference final hurts less here.
A strong season can still continue.
Older than March Madness itself
The NIT began in 1938.
The NCAA tournament began in 1939.
NCAA.com calls it the oldest postseason event.
It was once the top prize.
Top teams chose it over rivals.
The NCAA runs it today.
The 2027 edition is its 89th.
Its champion earns no national title.
Who gets invited in 2027
The 2027 field holds 24 teams.
It held 32 teams before.
The big field grew by eight.
So this field shrank by eight.
Total postseason spots stay at 100.
The first four out headline it.
Meet the bubble teams behind that phrase.
Those four become No. 1 seeds.
Regular-season champions earn automatic bids too.
Their rankings must average 125 or better.
Ten top conferences get exempt bids.
The ACC and SEC get extras.
Teams may decline an invitation.
How the 2027 NIT is played
Early rounds play on campus sites.
The first round holds eight games.
Winners then face the top eight seeds.
Semifinals land Tuesday, March 30, on campus.
The final shares Final Four weekend.
Detroit Mercy hosts it Sunday, April 4.
The men's title game follows Monday.
ESPN airs every NIT game.
Read about the Final Four weekend.
Five questions start it. You finish it.
Our picker opens on Selection Sunday, March 14, 2027. Five answers start your bracket. You can flip any pick. Free forever, no ads, no accounts.
Common questions
What is the NIT?
The NIT is the National Invitation Tournament, a single-elimination postseason tournament run by the NCAA for teams that miss the NCAA tournament field. In 2027 it holds 24 teams, and its champion is crowned at Detroit Mercy on Sunday, April 4.
Is the NIT the same as March Madness?
No. March Madness is the NCAA tournament, which crowns the national champion. The NIT is a separate tournament for the strongest teams left out, including the first four out of the NCAA field, who enter as No. 1 seeds.
More bracket basics
- How to fill out a March Madness bracket
- What is a March Madness bracket?
- How does bracket scoring work?
- What is a Cinderella team?
- When is Selection Sunday 2027?
- How often do upsets happen?
- What is a seed in March Madness?
- How to pick upsets
- What is March Madness?
- Has anyone ever had a perfect bracket?
- Fill out a bracket if you know nothing about basketball
- What is the Final Four?
- How many teams are in March Madness?
- What is the opening round in March Madness?
- What is the Sweet 16?
- What is the Elite Eight?
- How many games are in March Madness?
- What is an automatic bid?
- What is an at-large bid?
- What is a bubble team?
- What is bracketology?
- How many rounds are in March Madness?
- What is a conference tournament?
- What are NET rankings?
- What is a bid stealer?
- What is the selection committee?
- What is Wins Above Bubble?