The 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT), basketball's prestigious postseason event, is set to kick off on March 18, featuring 32 teams vying for victory. It offers teams, who didn’t make it to March Madness, another opportunity to chase glory on the court.
First held in 1938, the NIT is one of college basketball’s oldest tournaments. The competition serves as the perfect platform for schools not included in the NCAA Tournament to showcase their talent and bid for the championship. This year's event promises excitement, especially with top seeds like SMU, Dayton, San Francisco, and UC Irvine leading the way.
The first round of the NIT will feature several compelling matchups on March 18, including:
- No. 3 St. Bonaventure vs. Kent State at 7 p.m. ET, broadcast live on ESPNU.
- No. 4 Georgia Tech vs. Jacksonville State at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
- No. 4 Middle Tennessee facing off against Chattanooga at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
- Afterward, the night continues with No. 3 Arkansas State going up against Saint Louis at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU, and Oklahoma State battling Wichita State at the same time on ESPN2.
- Late-night contests will have UC Riverside at No. 2 Santa Clara and CSUN at No. 2 Stanford, both tipping off at 11 p.m. ET.
The first round continues on March 19 with notable matchups such as:
- No. 1 Dayton against Florida Atlantic at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
- No. 2 George Mason going head-to-head with Samford at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
- No. 1 SMU facing UNI at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, and top-seeded UC Irvine competing against Northern Colorado at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
- The night caps off with No. 1 San Francisco versus Utah Valley and No. 4 San Jose State playing against Loyola Chicago, both at 11 p.m. ET.
