While most eyes were on the NCAA tournament, the NIT rolled along providing some great basketball. The field began with 32 teams, but has narrowed all the way down to just two.
And just because the goal is March Madness, that doesn't mean there isn't significant history with the NIT.
Founded in 1938, the NIT was created by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. The goal was to bring some of the best players in the nation to New York for a tournament, with the games being played inside of Madison Square Garden. In its early years, the winner of the NIT was often considered to be better (and a bigger deal) than the winner of the NCAA tournament.
Over the years, the NIT shifted from a preseason event to a postseason one and its home moved from New York to Indianapolis.
So let's break down how we got here and how to watch the finals of the 2025 NIT.
What is the NIT?
The NIT is often jokingly referred to as the ‘Not In Tournament’ Tournament, which, while tongue-in-cheek, isn’t entirely inaccurate.
Teams invited to participate in the NIT are those who missed out on the NCAA tournament. Last year, the NCAA changed the selection process for the NIT. Now, 16 teams (half the bracket) are considered “exempt.”
Those exempt teams include the top two teams that were not selected to the NCAA tournament from the ACC, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC. Each of those teams received an automatic bid.
NIT Results
Winners are listed in bold. Team seeds are listed in parenthesis.
First Round:
- (1) SMU 73, Northern Iowa 63
- (4) Oklahoma State 89, Wichita State 79
- (3) Arkansas State 103, Saint Louis 78
- (2) North Texas 75, Furman 64
- (1) UC Irvine 82, Northern Colorado 72
- Jacksonville State 81, (4) Georgia Tech 64
- UAB 69, (3) Saint Joseph's 65
- (2) Santa Clara 101, UC Riverside 62
- (1) Dayton 86, Florida Atlantic 79
- Chattanooga 109, (4) Middle Tennessee 103 (3OT)
- (3) Bradley 71, North Alabama 62
- (2) George Mason 86, Samford 69
- (1) San Francisco 79, Utah Valley 70
- Loyola Chicago 73, (4) San Jose State 70
- Kent State 75, (3) St. Bonaventure 56
- (2) Stanford 87, Cal State-Northridge 70
Second Round:
- Oklahoma State 88, (1) SMU 79
- (2) North Texas 65, Arkansas State 63
- (1) UC Irvine 66, Jacksonville State 61
- UAB 88, (2) Santa Clara 84
- Chattanooga 87, (1) Dayton 72
- Bradley 75, (2) George Mason 67
- Loyola Chicago 77, (1) San Francisco 76
- Kent State 77, (2) Stanford 75
Quarterfinals:
- (2) North Texas 61, Oklahoma State 59
- (1) UC Irvine 81, UAB 77 (OT)
- Chattanooga 67, Bradley 65
- Loyola Chicago 72, Kent State 61
Semifinals:
- (1) UC Irvine 69, (2) North Texas 67
- Chattanooga 80, Loyola Chicago 73
Championship:
- (1) UC Irvine vs. Chattanooga
How to Watch the NIT Championship Game
ESPN will air the NIT finals. ESPN is included in nearly all streaming services and cable packages. However, the game will also air on the ESPN app (with cable provider verification) and also on ESPN+.
Be sure to check your local cable listings for channel numbers.
Recent NIT Champions
Here's a look at the last 25 years of NIT champions. Two teams have won multiple NITs during this stretch: South Carolina and Penn State. South Carolina is the only team to win back-to-back NIT championships.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as How to Watch the NIT Championship Game .
