National Commissioners Invitational Tournament
The National Commissioners Invitational Tournament was an eight-team postseason men's college basketball tournament run by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It was introduced in 1974 as the Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament. Invitees were runner-up teams in major conferences, which were required to participate, creating a threat to the established National Invitation Tournament, which, at that time, the NCAA did not control. Bobby Knight, head coach of Indiana, winner of the inaugural tournament, did not want to participate, because he believed it was created to "run the NIT out of business," which he opposed. The tournament lasted only two years before being discontinued after changes to the NCAA tournament rules, which allowed more than one team per conference to participate.
Summary
The tournament was won in 1974 by Indiana over USC, 85–60, in St. Louis, Missouri. The 1974 tournament featured a collection of teams that came in second in their conferences due to NCAA tournament rules at the time which only invited conference champions.In 1975, the NCAA tournament expanded to include at-large teams, from a total of 25 to 32 teams and began inviting more than one team from some conferences rather than solely conference champions. However, the 1975 tournament, renamed the National Commissioners Invitational Tournament, was still held and was won by Drake over Arizona, 83–76, in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Commissioners Invitational Tournament was discontinued after the 1975 tournament.
List of NCIT bids by school
This is a list of NCIT bids by school.| NCIT bids | School | Last bid | Last win | Last semifinal | Last champ. game | Last championship |
| 2 | USC | 1975 | 1974 | 1974 | 1974 | |
| 2 | Tennessee | 1975 | ||||
| 1 | Drake | 1975 | 1975 | 1975 | 1975 | 1975 |
| 1 | Indiana | 1974 | 1974 | 1974 | 1974 | 1974 |
| 1 | Arizona | 1975 | 1975 | 1975 | 1975 | |
| 1 | Bowling Green | 1975 | 1975 | 1975 | ||
| 1 | Purdue | 1975 | 1975 | 1975 | ||
| 1 | Bradley | 1974 | 1974 | 1974 | ||
| 1 | Toledo | 1974 | 1974 | 1974 | ||
| 1 | East Carolina | 1975 | ||||
| 1 | Missouri | 1975 | ||||
| 1 | Arizona State | 1974 | ||||
| 1 | Kansas State | 1974 | ||||
| 1 | SMU | 1974 |
The Big 8, Big Ten, MAC, Missouri Valley, Pac-8, SEC and WAC sent teams to both tournaments. The Southwest was only invited to the 1974 tournament, while the Southern Conference was only invited to the 1975 tournament.