NIT schedule and what you need to know about the tournament
The NIT will decide its champion at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Here is what you need to know:
What is the NIT?
Teams that don't make the NCAA Tournament can get invited to play in the National Invitation Tournament. The NIT was founded in 1938 and once considered college basketball's top postseason tournament and then considered an equal or great title than the NCAA Tournament. That has not been the case for many years, however.
What teams make the NIT?
The NIT takes the top two teams in the NET rankings from the six largest conferences -- ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC -- then determines the 20 best teams available to fill out the field.
Where is the NIT being held?
Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse will host the semifinals and finals on April 2 and 4. The 32-team field will play first-round, second-round and quarterfinal games at campus sites. The NIT was held in New York City for year but now rotates the host site, starting in 2021.
The top 16 teams will be seeded with the remaining 16 teams placed in the bracket geographically.
When does the NIT begin?
>> First round: March 19-20, campus sites
>> Second round: March 23-24, campus sites
>> Quarterfinals: March 26-27, campus sites
>> Semifinals: April 2, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Hinkle Fieldhouse
>> Final: April 4, 7 p.m., Hinkle Fieldhouse
NIT bracket
TOP LEFT
St. Joseph's at No. 1 Seton Hall, Wed., 7 p.m., ESPN2
North Texas at No. 4 LSU, Tue., 7 p.m., SECN/ESPU+
Boston College at No. 3 Providence, Tue., 7 p.m., ESPNU
UNLV at No. 2 Princeton, Wed., 8 p.m., ESPN+
BOTTOM LEFT
Appalachian State at No. 1 Wake Forest, Wed., 8 p.m., ESPN+
Xavier at No. 4 Georgia, Tue., 7 p.m., ESPN
Richmond at No. 3 Virginia Tech, Tue., 9 p.m., ESPN2
Cornell at No. 2 Ohio State, Tue., 7 p.m., ESPN2
TOP RIGHT
Southern Methodist at No. 1 Indiana State, Wed., 7 p.m., ESPN+
Minnesota at No. 4 Butler, Tue., 9 p.m., ESPNU
Loyola-Chicago at No. 3 Bradley, Wed., 7 p.m., ESPN+
San Francisco at No. 2 Cincinnati, Wed., 9 p.m., ESPN+
BOTTOM RIGHT
Virginia Commonwealth at No. 1 Villanova, Wed., 9 p.m., ESPN2
South Florida at No. 4 Central Florida, Tue., 9 p.m., ESPN+
Kansas State at No. 3 Iowa, Tue., 9 p.m., ESPN
UC-Irvine at No. 2 Utah, Tue., 11 p.m., ESPN2
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NIT schedule and what you need to know about the tournament