Auburn, Wake Forest, New Mexico and Tulsa secured No. 1 seeds for the 2026 NIT. The 32-team field was announced on Sunday night, with action beginning Tuesday at various campus sites. The tournament will culminate in Indianapolis, Indiana, with semifinals on April 2 and the championship game on April 5.
The NIT format will look different again this year because of the College Basketball Crown, a new postseason tournament launched by Fox Sports. Each of the top 12 conferences received at least one exempt bid to the field.
Only four power conference teams are competing in the NIT: Auburn, Cal, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State. Multiple programs -- such as Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Belmont and San Diego State declined an invitation to the NIT after missing out on the NCAA Tournament.
Let's see who rises to the top in the NIT Championship 2026.
Last 7 NIT Champions
2025 Chattanooga
2024 Seton Hall
2023 North Texas
2022 Xavier
2021 Memphis
2019 Texas
2018 Penn St
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