In theory, the National Invitational Tournament should be where mid-majors and lesser-known teams have the chance to compete against the best programs in the country that have barely missed out on the big dances of the NCAA Tournament.
There have been many changes in recent years. NIT is trying to find a way to carve a niche in postseason basketball. Last year, the team played large and relaxed success with power conference teams, but from 2024-25 College basketball crown Tournaments that award bids to schools – essentially attracting attention with NIT.
Whether it's something that can be considered sour grapes or plans for new tournaments, more and more major programs are shunning NIT to skip all postseason plays together instead. The idea is that those who just missed the bubble often get NIT and lose to a small school can hurt recruitment.
So far, the three teams have announced they will not be participating in the tournament, regardless of whether they receive an invitation or not. LSUthe second and last in the SEC this season will be attended by two ACC teams. Wake Forest And Pitt, everyone says they won't be attending this year.
here teeth The 2025 field for teams that accepted the invitation.
Dallas Region
1 SMU
Northern Iowa
4 Oklahoma
Wichita
3 Arkansas
St. Louis
2Nor Texas
Farman
Dayton Region
1 dayton
Florida Atlantic
4 Middle Tennessee
Chattanooga
3 Bradley
North Alabama
2 George Mason
Samford
Irvine Region
1 UC Irvine
Northern Colorado
4 Georgia Institute of Technology
Jacksonville St.
3 St. Joseph
uab
2 Santa Clara
UC Riverside
San Francisco Region
1 San Francisco
Utah Valley
4 San Jose St.
Loyola Chicago
3 St. Bonaventure
Kent St.
2Stanford
csun
