2021 NIT to Take Place in Dallas-Fort Worth, Feature 16 Teams
The NCAA announced Monday that The National Invitation Tournament, known as the NIT, will still take place in 2021.
The tournament will be downsized and played in a different location as well. The NIT used to feature 32 teams with games being held on teams' campuses until the semifinals and championship, which were played at Madison Square Garden.
For this year, the NIT will feature 16 teams all playing in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, with games being held at Comerica Center in Frisco and at UNT Coliseum on North Texas' campus in Denton.
All 16 teams will be at-large selections this year, and there will be no automatic qualifiers like in previous years.
Like the NCAA Tournament, there was no NIT last season due to COVID-19. The last team to win the NIT was Texas in 2019 when it defeated Lipscomb in the title game.
Indiana also participated in the last NIT in 2019. It was the Hoosiers' sixth appearance in the tournament, and they were a No. 1 seed with the likes of Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan. Indiana advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to Wichita State in Assembly Hall.
Although Indiana hopes to play itself into the NCAA Tournament this season, the path has come extremely difficult, making the NIT a probable option if the Hoosiers choose to play in it.
According to the NCAA, "First-round games will be played Wednesday, March 17, through Saturday, March 20. Quarterfinals also will take place Thursday, March 25. The semifinals and championship will take place Saturday and Sunday, March 27 and 28. 2021 also will feature a third-place game Sunday, March 28, which hasn’t been played at the NIT since 2003. All 16 games of the 2021 NIT will be televised on ESPN or ESPN2.
Teams and pairings for the 2021 NIT are scheduled to be released by the NIT Committee at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, March 14, on ESPNU."
The NIT, which began in 1938, is the nation’s oldest postseason tournament.
Related Stories on Indiana Basketball:
- INDIANA DROPS FOUR STRAIGHT: Indiana lost its fourth-straight game to Michigan State on Tuesday night. CLICK HERE
- DOLSON TALKS IU BASKETBALL: Indiana AD Scott Dolson gave his thoughts on the program in a conversation with AJ Guyton. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA NCAA TOURNEY PROJECTIONS: To see where the Hoosiers stand in the latest bracketology, CLICK HERE
