Helena Frye
The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The 2023 tournament was held at Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada, and hosted by UNLV. The 2024 site will be Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The 2025 tournament will also be held in Indianapolis, with the first three rounds played at campus sites and the semifinal and final rounds at Hinkle Fieldhouse. While I cannot find information on which team is favored to win the NIT tournament, the 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was won by the UConn Huskies, who defeated the San Diego State Aztecs 76-59 in the championship game.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 2025 |
| Winner | University of Tennessee–Chattanooga Mocs |
| Runner-up | University of California–Irvine Anteaters |
| Score | 85-84 |
| Most Outstanding Player | Trey Bonham |
| All-Tournament Team | Trey Bonham, Justin Hohn, Honor Huff, Devin Tillis, Atin Wright |
| Number of Teams | 32 |
| First Round Dates | March 18 - April 3 |
| Semifinals and Championship Location | Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
| Debut Teams | Cal State Northridge, Jacksonville State, North Alabama, Northern Colorado, Samford, and UC Riverside |
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What You'll Learn
The 2025 NIT was won by the Chattanooga Mocs
The 2025 National Invitation Tournament, an annual men's college basketball tournament, featured 32 NCAA Division I men's college basketball teams that were not selected for the NCAA Tournament. The first three rounds were played on campus sites, with the semifinal and final rounds taking place at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. This tournament format has been consistent since 2022, reverting to the current 32-team format after a brief expansion to 40 teams from 2002 through 2006.
The 2025 NIT saw six programs make their debut, including Cal State Northridge, Jacksonville State, North Alabama, Northern Colorado, Samford, and UC Riverside. The tournament kicked off on March 18 and concluded on April 3, with the Chattanooga Mocs claiming the championship title. This win by the Mocs was a significant achievement, as it marked the first time they had won the NIT and showcased their resilience and determination throughout the tournament.
The National Invitation Tournament has a long history, dating back to its founding in 1938 by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. From its onset until the mid-1950s, the NIT was considered the most prestigious showcase for college basketball, even predating the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament by a year. The tournament has undergone various format changes over the years, with the number of participating teams expanding and contracting, but it remains a highly anticipated event in the college basketball calendar.
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The tournament is now a consolation for teams that don't make the NCAA tournament
The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NIT predates the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament by one year, having been founded in 1938.
From its onset and at least into the mid-1950s, the NIT was regarded as the most prestigious showcase for college basketball. The winner of the NIT was even regarded as more of a national champion than the winner of the NCAA tournament. However, the status of the NIT was eventually superseded by the NCAA tournament in the mid-1950s.
Today, the NIT is a consolation tournament for teams that don't make the NCAA tournament. The NCAA has made changes to the NIT selection process to preserve the viability of the event in the face of possible competition. These changes have been criticized by coaches and mid-major schools, which no longer have a fallback option should they win their regular-season title but lose their conference tournament.
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion. The tournament consists of 68 teams and was first conducted in 1939. It has become one of the greatest annual sporting events in the US, known for its upsets of favored teams.
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The 1940s NIT was more prestigious than the NCAA tournament
The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NIT predates the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament by one year, having been founded in 1938. From its founding in 1938 to 2022, the semifinals and finals were always played at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City.
In the 1940s, the NIT was considered the most prestigious post-season showcase for college basketball. The tournament was held in New York at Madison Square Garden by the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association. The venue was considered the country's premier location for showcasing and recruiting basketball talent. Playing all of its games in New York City provided teams with greater media exposure, both with the general public and among high school prospects in its rich recruiting territory. The NIT also paid its participants better than the NCAA. The winner of the NIT was generally regarded as the "true" national champion.
The NCAA tournament, on the other hand, was still in its infancy in the 1940s, having been founded in 1939. It struggled to match the NIT in terms of attendance and earnings. The NCAA could barely meet the costs of its invitees, while schools participating in the NIT were compensated for their expenses and given a large percentage of the tournament profits.
The prestige of the NIT began to wane in the 1950s when the NCAA tournament superseded it as the most prestigious post-season showcase for college basketball. This decline in prestige continued over the following decades, with the NIT being increasingly regarded as a "consolation" tournament for teams that did not make it into the NCAA tournament. By the 1970s, the hierarchy had flipped, and the NIT had dropped to second-class status.
As for the favored teams to win the 2023 NIT tournament, no clear favorite has been identified. However, the NCAA has announced that the NIT will now guarantee bids to two teams from each of the six major conferences: ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC.
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The 2025 NIT had 32 teams
The 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) featured 32 teams in a single-elimination tournament format. The NIT is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The 2025 edition included 32 NCAA Division I men's college basketball teams that were not selected to participate in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament began on March 18 and concluded on April 3, with the first three rounds played on campus sites and the semifinal and final rounds held at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Six programs made their debut in the 2025 NIT: Cal State Northridge, Jacksonville State, North Alabama, Northern Colorado, Samford, and UC Riverside. The tournament ultimately saw the University of Tennessee–Chattanooga Mocs defeat the University of California–Irvine Anteaters 85–84 in overtime to claim the championship. The All-Tournament Team included Trey Bonham (Chattanooga), Justin Hohn (UC Irvine), Honor Huff (Chattanooga), Devin Tillis (UC Irvine), and Atin Wright (North Texas). Trey Bonham was also named the Most Outstanding Player.
The NIT has a long history dating back to its founding in 1938, even predating the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament by one year. Originally, the tournament featured a field of six teams, with all games played at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Over the years, the field has expanded, reaching 8 teams in 1941, 12 in 1949, 14 in 1965, 16 in 1968, 24 in 1979, and 32 in 1980. The format has fluctuated since then, but since 2022, the tournament has reverted to the 32-team format.
In the lead-up to the 2025 NIT, the NCAA revised the selection criteria, removing some guarantees from power conferences and reinstating elements of the previous automatic bid system. Exempt bids were given to two teams from the Atlantic Coast (ACC) and Southeastern (SEC) conferences, plus one team each from the top twelve conferences as rated by Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings (KenPom). This change aimed to encourage participation by competitive college teams and enhance the tournament's reputation.
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The 2024 NIT saw criticism of selection changes
The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The 2024 NIT saw criticism from coaches and mid-major schools due to changes in the selection process.
The NIT has a long history, dating back to its founding in 1938, and it was once considered the most prestigious post-season showcase for college basketball. However, in the mid-1950s, its status was superseded by the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The 2024 NIT aimed to preserve the tournament's viability and prestige by introducing a new selection process.
The changes to the 2024 NIT selection process were designed to address the competition from other tournaments and the potential impact on the NIT's stature. The new criteria granted automatic bids to the two highest-ranked teams in the NET rankings from each of the six major conferences: ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC. These 12 automatic qualifiers would host their first-round games.
Previously, the automatic bids were given to regular-season conference champions who did not win their conference tournaments or get selected for the NCAA Tournament. The mid-major schools criticized this change as it removed their fallback option of hosting a first-round game if they won their regular season title but lost their conference tournament. They were no longer guaranteed a spot in the NIT, creating uncertainty for these schools.
The NCAA defended the changes as a necessary evolution to maintain the tournament's long-term viability. They acknowledged the dynamic nature of the event marketplace and the need to adapt. However, the 2024 NIT selection changes faced backlash, particularly from mid-major schools and coaches, who felt it disrupted the traditional fallback options and guaranteed spots for certain schools.
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