2025 National Invitation Tournament


The 2025 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of thirty-two NCAA Division I men's college basketball teams not selected to participate in the 2025 NCAA tournament. The tournament commenced on March 18th and concluded on April 3rd. The first three rounds were played on campus sites, with the semifinal and final rounds played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Six programs made their debut in the NIT: Cal State Northridge, Jacksonville State, North Alabama, Northern Colorado, Samford, and UC Riverside.
The University of Tennessee–Chattanooga Mocs defeated the University of California–Irvine Anteaters 85–84 in overtime to claim the championship. The All-Tournament Team was composed of Trey Bonham, Justin Hohn, Honor Huff, Devin Tillis and Atin Wright ; Bonham was also selected Most Outstanding Player.

Participants

Teams and pairings for the 2025 NIT were released by the NIT Committee on March 16, 2025. Thirty-two teams qualified for the NIT, including exempt qualifiers, automatic qualifiers, and at-large selections. In 2024, the Seton Hall Pirates won the NIT championship.
Non-NCAA tournament teams from the Big East, Big Ten and Big 12 conferences were contractually prohibited from playing in any other postseason tournament, including the NIT, if they declined an invitation or removed themselves from consideration for a bid to the College Basketball Crown.

Exempt qualifiers

For the 2025 NIT, exempt bids were extended to two teams from the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences, plus one team each from the top twelve conferences as rated by the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings on March 16, 2025. The twelve conferences that earned exempt bids based on their KenPom ratings were
Whether the twelve exempt-bid conferences excluded or included the ACC and SEC is unclear. Multiple sources indicated that there would be sixteen exempt bids extended. This would be possible only if four exempt bids were extended collectively to the ACC and SEC, and twelve other exempt bids were extended. Nevertheless, two days before NIT selections were to be made, a tweet from the NIT's account included a graphic purporting to show the twelve conferences that were then leading in the KenPom ratings, and those twelve conferences included the ACC and SEC. This would result in only fourteen exempt bids if the ACC and SEC could not receive a third exempt bid by being in the top twelve conferences. A CBS Sports article in which the tweet was embedded maintained there would be sixteen exempt bids. The two conferences listed [|above] that were excluded from the graphic were the Ivy and the WAC. Because the tweet is the only source indicating the ACC and SEC were taken into account when ranking the top twelve conferences, it may have been erroneous. Had the SEC been eligible for a third exempt bid, it would not have been able to receive it, as only two of its members failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
Further, it appears that Utah Valley, the team entitled to the WAC's exempt bid, could not host due to scheduling issues with their arena, which would mean the WAC did earn an exempt bid. However, local media reporting Utah Valley's NIT bid merely speculated and did not express certainty regarding why they were playing on the road. The Utah Valley athletics website offered no explanation for the team opening the NIT away from home. Without a definitive statement from the NCAA, the status of teams participating in the tournament as either exempt or at large remains unclear. If the WAC did not have an exempt bid, Utah Valley earned an automatic bid, because they were the WAC regular-season champion, did not win the conference tournament, and had a KNIT score better than 125.
The teams accepting exempt bids are shown below. No schools from the Big East, Big Ten, Ivy, or SEC accepted invitations, creating five additional at-large berths.
The final KNIT, ESPN Basketball Power Index, Ken Pomeroy Rating, Kevin Pauga Index, NCAA Evaluation Tool, Strength of Record ranking, and Wins Above Bubble scores of non-NCAA tournament teams from conferences that earned exempt bids through the close of play on March 16, 2025 are summarized in the tables below. Teams in bold accepted a bid; teams in italics were extended an automatic bid but rejected it. Some Big East, Big Ten, and Big 12 teams were contractually obligated to decline.

TeamBTRBPIKPRKPINETSORWABKNIT
SMU4745476246515751
Wake Forest7062715969444860
Pittsburgh7250619261798571
Stanford7588827681707278
Florida State938689123909311198
Georgia Tech90949412210994112102
Virginia96100104124110100117107
Notre Dame978996146103117138112
Syracuse10797117147133123152125
California121104112154125140158131
NC State11593125179132148177138
Virginia Tech144122161166167147182156
Boston College172161184203202166196183
Miami (FL)185119192251225188269204



TeamBTRBPIKPRKPINETSORWABKNIT
LSU84748810589858787
South Carolina7679691068710911992



TeamBTRBPIKPRKPINETSORWABKNIT
North Texas7380727365636670
UAB10199103100106115124107
Florida Atlantic111102115139111138157125
Wichita State140120135140134129145135
Tulane138127138174145154174150
Temple157142171181164165191167
East Carolina182159176162176156178170
South Florida201147195207189188245196
UTSA181186191227201188250203
Rice179194189281204188280216
Tulsa240235268262271188287250
Charlotte262219257276267188319255



TeamBTRBPIKPRKPINETSORWABKNIT
George Mason7169784768535563
[2024–25 2024–25 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team|Dayton Flyers men's basketball team|Dayton]7872745167586266
Saint Joseph's82717964769210681
St. Bonaventure921101028497878894
Loyola Chicago98101108781079510198
Saint Louis10810810685101121131109
George Washington116116113119124126134121
Rhode Island160135150127152139154145
Davidson142130148157153163181153
Duquesne123118132145149188251158
La Salle209165222173214188230200
UMass212192214204221188267214
Fordham216213229209239188278225
Richmond224223238221253188296235









TeamBTRBPIKPRKPINETSORWABKNIT
UC Irvine8095664162575165
Cal State Northridge128133107117104120108117
UC Riverside15120014598142119105137
UC Santa Barbara147157147160140170156154
Cal Poly178236181177180188225195
Hawaii231256224200223188216220
UC Davis244259246205237188220228
Cal State Bakersfield255254239235244188273241
Long Beach State309324303324326188336301
Cal State Fullerton354355351329348188341324



TeamBTRBPIKPRKPINETSORWABKNIT
Middle Tennessee1201411197210511192109
Jacksonville State13215312390122135115124
Louisiana Tech134140126103126150129130
Kennesaw State124185130102137158141140
New Mexico State105164131131144179167146
UTEP143196158128157175165160
Western Kentucky159198159132159174163163
Sam Houston155205175178178188233187
FIU266292254270260188330266





TeamBTRBPIKPRKPINETSORWABKNIT
Bradley9992955680736880
Northern Iowa1171131018093141136112
Belmont13016212993129116116125
Illinois State131124140121121155162136
Murray State162121142138146188210158
UIC191154174130154153166160
Southern Illinois180207193186195188255201
Indiana State203182201210205188244205
Valparaiso219203212199206188256212
Missouri State207237245269245188328246
Evansville261269262233257188299253



TeamBTRBPIKPRKPINETSORWABKNIT
Boise State5048505044555250
UNLV899692979810311098
Nevada88788012679128128101
San Jose State152181165194175179203178
Wyoming189199185217197188212198
Fresno State258274256287278188317265
Air Force289304310312323188340295



TeamBTRBPIKPRKPINETSORWABKNIT
[2024–25 2024–25 San Francisco Dons men's basketball team|San Francisco Dons men's basketball team|San Francisco]6175655864545462
Santa Clara5170576157888166
Oregon State919885113851089496
Washington State106114124116112106107112
Loyola Marymount148169155153162161137155
Pepperdine198238216254227188243223
Portland251310269265288188249260
Pacific279316283309295188309283
San Diego292322296341324188344301




All exempt qualifiers were given the opportunity to host first-round games.

Automatic qualifiers

Additionally, automatic bids were given to regular-season conference champions with an average ranking of 125 or better across the BTR, BPI, KPR, KPI, NET, SOR and WAB rankings.
The final KNIT scores through the close of play on March 16, 2025, of teams that were conference regular-season champions, failed to win their conference tournament and are not from conferences receiving an exempt bid are summarized in the table below.

TeamConferenceBTRBPIKPRKPINETSORWABKNIT
BucknellPatriot214215225243213188205215
Central ConnecticutNortheast194167183183168113104159
ChattanoogaSouthern135134110881159689110
[2024–25 Northern 2024–25 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team|Colorado Bears men's basketball team|Northern Colorado]Big Sky11912812214311411091118
QuinnipiacMetro Atlantic Athletic210202213195191179187197
[2024–25 2024–25 South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball team|South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball team|South Alabama]Sun Belt136138121158123136135135
Southeast Missouri StateOhio Valley197243204198188188175199
SouthernSouthwestern Athletic215220233228224179143206
TowsonCoastal Athletic168145154114151124122140


Teams qualifying for and accepting automatic bids were as follows:
TeamConferenceOverall
record		AppearanceLast
bid
ChattanoogaSoCon5th1987
Northern ColoradoBig Sky1stNever

At-large bids

The following teams were awarded at-large bids.
TeamConferenceOverall
record		AppearanceLast
bid
Arkansas StateSun Belt5th1991
Cal State NorthridgeBig West1stNever
DaytonAtlantic 1028th2022
Florida AtlanticAmerican2nd2011
FurmanSouthern3rd2019
Georgia TechACC10th2017
Jacksonville StateConference USA1stNever
Kent StateMid-American10th2011
Loyola ChicagoAtlantic 107th2024
North AlabamaASUN1stNever
Northern IowaMissouri Valley3rd2022
Saint LouisAtlantic 1021st2022
Saint Joseph'sAtlantic 1018th2024
SamfordSouthern1stNever
Santa ClaraWest Coast7th2023
St. BonaventureAtlantic 1018th2022
UABAmerican14th2023
UC RiversideBig West1stNever
Wichita StateAmerican14th2019

The NCAA caused confusion on Selection Sunday, by failing to communicate with at least one program invited to the NIT prior to the initial release of the bracket. Instead, it appears the NCAA assumed that mid-major schools would not decline an NIT bid. UC Riverside had already confirmed their participation in the 2025 College Basketball Invitational, before learning they had been invited to the NIT. For a brief time, NIT and CBI brackets co-existed showing UC Riverside playing in both tournaments. Participation in multiple postseason tournaments is not permitted under NCAA rules. After UC Riverside's commitment to play in the CBI came to the attention of the NCAA, instead of communicating with UC Riverside, they contacted South Alabama, the top remaining at-large team, and extended an NIT invitation to them. As the NCAA was communicating with South Alabama, UC Riverside was in contact with CBI organizers to decline their invitation to that tournament, so they could play in the NIT. After their commitment to the CBI was dissolved, UC Riverside contacted the NCAA and accepted their bid to the NIT. Just an hour after extending the invitation, the NCAA contacted South Alabama and informed them their bid to the NIT had been revoked.

Declined bids

Teams contractually obligated to decline

Teams from the Big East, Big Ten and Big 12 conferences that were offered a bid or preemptively declined the opportunity to play in the 2025 College Basketball Crown were thereby contractually forbidden from playing in the NIT. Teams that fulfilled their obligations to decline were:

Other teams declining bids

Participated in 2025 College Basketball Crown.

Ivy League teams

As described in detail above, it is unclear whether the Ivy League was an exempt-bid conference. If it was, all seven of its non-NCAA tournament teams declined bids to the NIT, since no Ivy League teams participated.

Field synopsis

Rankings, ratings and records were through March 16, 2025 Selection Sunday and prior to any additional post-season activity. This also includes a "KNIT" score, which is leveraged as a criteria and evaluation tool for the National Invitation Tournament selection committee; it average of the following seven metrics, then ranks based on the results:BTR: Bart Torvik "T-Rank" RankingBPI: ESPN Basketball Power IndexKPR: Ken Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings KPI: Kevin Pauga IndexNET: NCAA Evaluation ToolSOR: Strength Of Record, as calculated by ESPNWAB: Wins Above Bubble, as calculated by Bart Torvik


Bracket

All seeded teams hosted their first-round games, except for Dayton, because the First Four of the 2025 NCAA tournament was played on their home court. Dayton had another scheduling conflict with their arena and consequently played their second-round game on the road as well. All other second-round games were hosted by the higher seeded team. Seeded teams playing unseeded opponents hosted quarterfinal games. Hosts of other quarterfinal games are noted in the brackets below.

Dallas Region

;Note

San Francisco Region

;Note

Dayton Region

;Notes

Semifinals and final


Media

ESPN, Inc. has exclusive rights to all of the NIT games. It telecasts every game across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, and ESPN+. Westwood One has exclusive radio rights to the semifinals and the championship.