What Happened to National Invitation Tournament (NIT)?

The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) was founded in 1938 by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, a year before the NCAA Tournament, and quickly established itself as the most prestigious postseason college basketball event. For its first two decades, the NIT, with its games exclusively held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, attracted the nation's top teams and garnered significant media attention.

However, the NIT's dominance began to wane in the 1950s. A point-shaving scandal in the early 1950s, which implicated several New York City programs, tarnished the NIT's reputation. More significantly, the NCAA began to implement rules that mandated conference champions accept bids to its tournament, effectively siphoning off the best teams from the NIT. The NCAA Tournament also expanded its field, further diminishing the NIT's pool of elite contenders. A key turning point occurred in 1970 when Marquette coach Al McGuire rejected an NCAA bid to play in the NIT, prompting the NCAA to institute a rule forcing teams to accept NCAA bids if offered, solidifying the NCAA Tournament's position as the premier event.

In 2001, the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association (MIBA), which owned the NIT, sued the NCAA for antitrust violations. This legal battle concluded in August 2005 when the NCAA purchased both the preseason and postseason NITs for $56.5 million, unifying postseason college basketball under one governing body. Despite the acquisition, the NIT continued to struggle for relevance, often seen as a consolation prize for teams that missed the NCAA Tournament.

Recent years have seen the NCAA attempt to revitalize the NIT through significant format and selection changes. From its founding until 2022, the semifinals and finals were traditionally held at Madison Square Garden. However, starting in 2023, the final rounds were moved to rotating sites, with the 2023 finals in Las Vegas, the 2024 and 2025 finals at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and the 2026 semifinals at Hinkle Fieldhouse and the final at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, also in Indianapolis. For the 2024 tournament, the NIT eliminated automatic bids for regular-season conference champions not selected for the NCAA Tournament. Instead, it guaranteed two bids from each of six major conferences (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) based on NET rankings. This change, intended to boost viewership and revenue, proved controversial and led to several teams declining NIT invitations in 2024 and 2026.

As of August 19, 2026, the NIT continues as a 32-team single-elimination tournament operated by the NCAA. The 2026 tournament saw Auburn defeat Tulsa to claim the championship. The tournament's future remains a topic of discussion, with ongoing evaluations of its format and selection criteria as it navigates a dynamic college sports landscape, including competition from newer postseason events like the College Basketball Crown.