The National Invitation Tournament and Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament will shrink in size beginning in 2027, dropping from 32 to 24 teams, the NCAA announced Thursday.
This change occurs as the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments add eight teams next spring, expanding from 68 to 76.
The new number of teams also will bring a shift to format.
In both the NIT and WBIT, the first round will feature eight games, with the winners to play the eight seeded teams in the second round. Campus sites will host the early rounds until play moves to a neutral site.
For the NIT, that’s in the championship game, which is to be played April 4 at Detroit Mercy. Wichita State will host the WBIT semifinals and championship game on March 29 and 31, respectively.
Changes also will be made to how the NIT and WBIT fields are selected, largely based on metrics and conference finishes.
Both men’s and women’s teams identified by the NCAA Tournament selection committees as the First Four Out will qualify automatically for the NIT and WBIT and be granted No. 1 seeds.
The NIT and WBIT fields will be announced on March 14 after NCAA Tournament bids are given out.
–Field Level Media
