Selection Sunday is famously known for the unveiling of the brackets for both the men’s NCAA Tournament
But that isn’t the only postseason men’s college basketball tournament that reveals its field on Sunday. Shortly after the announcement of the 68-team field at 6 p.m. ET, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), will begin unveiling its 32-team bracket.
The NIT is strictly an invitation style tournament, meaning Division I men’s basketball teams need to be extended an invite from the NIT selection committee to compete in it. It’s also one of several other postseason tournaments that take place alongside March Madness.
Unlike the NCAA Tournament, every game of the NIT is played on a college campus. Games begin on Tuesday, March 18 and run through Thursday, April 3 with the championship game at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Here’s what you need to know:
What channel is the NIT bracket revealed on?
- TV: N/A
- Streaming: N/A
Unlike the NCAA Tournament bracket, the NIT bracket will not be released on TV or a streaming service platform. Instead, as noted by the NIT’s official X account (formerly Twitter), it will be announced on the tournament’s social media platforms.
When is the NIT bracket released? 2025 NIT Selection Show start time
- Date: Sunday, March 16
The bracket for the 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) will be released on Sunday, March 16 following the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament bracket reveal show.
Who makes the NIT?
Thirty-two teams make the NIT bracket field.
However, as noted by the NCAA, the 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) has different eligibility qualifications than past years — most likely due to the arrival of The College Basketball Crown tournament.
There will be 16 “exempt” teams, with four spots taken up by the top two teams from the ACC and SEC that were not selected to the NCAA Tournament field. The remaining 12 “exempt” spots will go to the top team in the top 12 conferences based on the KenPom Rankings.
The remaining 16 spots in the 32-team field will go to automatic bids — conference regular-season champions that have a ‘KNIT’ score of 125 or better — and at-large teams of the best available teams that didn’t make March Madness.
When is the NIT? Full schedule for 2025 tournament
- NIT start date: Tuesday, March 18
- NIT championship: Thursday, April 3
The 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) will get started on Tuesday, March 18 with the first round of games — which also happens to be the first night of the First Four.
The semifinals and championship games of the NIT will take place on Tuesday, April 1 and Thursday, April 3, respectively, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It is the second straight season that both of the final rounds of the NIT are taking place at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the home of the Big East’s Butler Bulldogs.
Here’s a breakdown of the NIT schedule:
- First round: Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19
- Second round: Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23
- Quarterfinals: Tuesday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 26
- Semifinals: Tuesday, April 1
- Championship: Thursday, April 3
NIT history, past champions
Here’s a look at past NIT champions dating back to 2000 per NCAA.com:
- 2000: Wake Forest
- 2001: Tulsa
- 2002: Memphis
- 2003: St. John’s
- 2004: Michigan
- 2005: South Carolina
- 2006: South Carolina
- 2007: West Virginia
- 2008: Ohio State
- 2009: Penn State
- 2010: Dayton
- 2011: Wichita State
- 2012: Stanford
- 2013: Baylor
- 2014: Minnesota
- 2015: Stanford
- 2016: George Washington
- 2017: TCU
- 2018: Penn State
- 2019: Texas
- 2020: Canceled due to COVID-19 Pandemic
- 2021: Memphis
- 2022: Xavier
- 2023: North Texas
- 2024: Seton Hall
Click here to look at all past NIT champions since 1938.
