The men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments aren’t the only postseason college basketball competitions tipping off this month.
The 2024 NIT will begin this week with 32 teams battling for the chance to lift a trophy at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Several top choices for the tournament had the chance to participate, as well, but declined invitations.
From matchups to broadcast information, here is everything to know about the 2024 NIT.
What is the NIT?
The National Invitational Tournament was founded in 1938, one year before the men’s NCAA Tournament was first held.
From its origin until the mid-1950s, the NIT generally had a better field and more prestige than the NCAA Tournament. Nowadays, it is the second-tier competition compared to the national tournament.
2024 NIT bracket
Here is a look at the 2024 NIT bracket and first-round matchups:
Top-left bracket
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- No. 1 Seton Hall vs. Saint Joseph’s, Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET
- No. 2 Princeton vs. UNLV, Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET
- No. 3 Providence vs. Boston College, Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET
- No. 4 LSU vs. North Texas, Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET
Bottom-left bracket
- No. 1 Wake Forest vs. Appalachian State, Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET
- No. 2 Ohio State vs. Cornell, Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET
- No. 3 Virginia Tech vs. Richmond, Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET
- No. 4 Georgia vs. Xavier, Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET
Top-right bracket
- No. 1 Indiana State vs. SMU, Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET
- No. 2 Cincinnati vs. San Francisco, Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET
- No. 3 Bradley vs. Loyola Chicago, Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET
- No. 4 Butler vs. Minnesota, Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET
Bottom-right bracket
- No. 1 Villanova vs. VCU, Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET
- No. 2 Utah vs. UC Irvine, Tuesday, 11 p.m. ET
- No. 3 Iowa vs. Kansas State, Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET
- No. 4 UCF vs. South Florida, Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET
2024 NIT schedule
The 2024 NIT will go from Tuesday, March 19, through Thursday, April 4. Here is the breakdown for each round:
- First round: March 19-20
- Second round: March 23-24
- Quarterfinals: March 26-27
- Semifinals: April 2
- Championship: April 4
Games for the first three rounds will be played at the home team’s arena. Semifinals and the championship game will be played in Indianapolis.
How to watch the 2024 NIT
The 2024 NIT will air on ESPN’s family of networks. ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+ and SEC Network will have first-round coverage. ESPN will broadcast the championship game at 7 p.m. on April 4.
Teams that rejected invitations to 2024 NIT
St. John’s, Pitt, Oklahoma, Memphis, Ole Miss and Indiana all declined invitations to participate in this year’s NIT.
Oklahoma and Pitt joined Seton Hall and Indiana State among the first four teams out of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
