NIT bracket 2026: Tournament schedule, dates, times as Auburn, Wake Forest highlight No. 1 seeds
By Cameron Salerno
Published on March 16, 2026.
The 2026 National Invitational Tournament (NIT) will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, with the winners being Auburn, Wake Forest, New Mexico, and Tulsa. The College Basketball Crown, a new postseason tournament by Fox Sports, has introduced the format of the NIT with each of the top 12 conferences receiving at least one exempt bid. Only four power conference teams are competing in the tournament, including Auburn, Cal, and Oklahoma State. The NIT format will be different this year due to the introduction of Fox Sports' new College Basketball Championship. The tournament will culminate in Indianapolis with semifinals on April 2 and the championship game on April 5. The first three rounds will be played at the higher-seeded team's home arena.
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