While the NCAA tournament is the undisputed king of spring basketball, with high-profile upsets, incredible drama and an expectation that the unexpected will be delivered, there’s more great basketball happening in March, even if it doesn’t get the primetime slots on national television.
We’re talking about the NIT—the National Invitation Tournament.
For the men’s basketball teams that just missed the cut for March Madness, they (usually) go to the NIT. Which means those teams, especially those who were on the NCAA tournament bubble, are extremely motivated and ready to prove the selection committee wrong.
What Is the NIT?
The NIT is an official NCAA tournament, which consists of 32 invited teams. Higher seeded teams play in their home arena, until there are four teams remaining. Those games are played inside Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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 will receive an automatic bid.
Teams are seeded and the bracket is created on Sunday, March 16. On Tuesday, March 18, first round games begin.
NIT Selection Show & Broadcast Details
The NIT Selection Show will air at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 on Sunday, March 16. The ESPN app will also air the show.
How to Watch the NIT on Cable TV
The good news is that even the most basic of cable packages include ESPN2. ESPN2 is Channel 209 on DirecTV and 143 on Dish. Basic cable (non-satellite) channel numbers vary based on your geographic location.
Once the NIT games begin, the first round matchups will air on ESPN2 and ESPNU. Typically, ESPNU is not included in basic cable packages andwould require some sort of upgrade to a mid-level package.
Second round games are again on ESPN2 and ESPNU. Quarterfinals matchups are strictly on ESPN2.
ESPN will broadcast the semifinals (April 1) and final (April 3) of the NIT.
How to Stream the NIT Without Cable
DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, fuboTV and YouTube TV all carry ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. Sling TV requires the Sports Extra package to get ESPNU.
NIT Winners Since 2000
This article was originally published on www.si.com as How to Watch the NIT Selection Show 2025, With & Without Cable.
