Wake Forest Accepts NIT Bid and Will Continue the Season

The Demon Deacons still have more basketball to play. On Sunday night, after the NCAA Tournament selections were released, teams left out of the field began opting out of other postseason opportunities. However, the Deacs chose to keep the season going and accepted an invitation to play in the NIT.

Other Power Four teams to accept an invite to the NIT include Auburn, Oklahoma State, and fellow ACC member California. Other than this, the field is stacked with talented mid-majors up and down the bracket, as you can see below.

Let's do this‼️

The #NIT2026 bracket, complete with first round tip-off dates/times, is here 🏀

It all starts Tuesday night. pic.twitter.com/ico6Ulbjrj
— NIT (@NITMBB) March 16, 2026

Wake Forest is the one seed in the Winston-Salem region of the bracket. They will play this Wednesday at 7 pm against Navy, the Patriot League regular season champion. This game will take place at the Joel. If Wake Forest were to keep winning, they could get as many as three more home games, but it starts for the Deacs on Wednesday night.

Some notable teams to opt out of competing in the NIT include Virginia Tech, Florida State, San Diego State, and Oklahoma.

Past NIT Apperances

Wake Forest guard Sebastian Akins drives to the hoop against SMU | Evan Harris/Wake Forest on SI

This is Wake Forest's ninth appearance in the NIT in program history. They have a total record of 13-7 in the tournament throughout program history, with the best finish coming in 2000 when Wake Forest won the entire tournament.

This is the third NIT appearance in the Steve Forbes era, with showings in 2022 and 2024 in the event as well. In 2022, Wake Forest won its opening two games at the Joel against Towson and VCU before losing in College Station to Texas A&M in the quarterfinals.

In 2024, the Deacs made an appearance after barely missing the NCAA tournament and beat Appalachian State at home in round one before falling to Georgia in the second round at the Joel.

Region Preview

As already stated, the Deacs' region may not include any Power Four foes, but it does include ample mid-major programs coming off of very successful seasons.

It all starts in round one, where the Deacs will take on the Navy Midshipmen. Navy won the Patriot League regular season crown before falling in the conference tournament to Boston on a near buzzer-beater. They boast an impressive 26-7 record.

Illinois State and Kent State both finished third in their respective solid mid-major conferences. UNCW has been a mid-major on the rise, making the NCAA tournament a year ago and finishing first in the CAA regular season this year. Yale also qualified for the NCAA tournament a season ago and won the Ivy League regular season title before falling in the conference tournament final.

Bradley finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference and will host the Dayton Flyers because the First Four is in Dayton. The Dayton Flyers have been red-hot as of late, making the A-10 championship this past weekend by beating a tournament team, Saint Louis.

I know this is not what fans were hoping for at the start of the season, but it does give another chance to see the Deacs in action at home. This could be very beneficial when deciding which players to bring back for next season, as Wake has many young players who need more experience. Plus, it gives a chance for a guy like Nate Calmese to come back from injury and end his college career the right way, along with seniors Mekhi Mason and Tre'Von Spillers.