The National Invitation Tournament and Madison Square Garden have reached an agreement that will ensure the NIT will remain in New York City through 2018.
A fixture in New York City and at Madison Square Garden since the tournament began in 1938, the NIT is the nation’s oldest postseason tournament. The agreement guarantees that the semifinal and championship games of the NIT will be played in New York through the 81st NIT Championship.
“The NIT and Madison Square Garden have a long and tremendous history and this agreement ensures that the 80th anniversary of the event will be celebrated in The World’s Most Famous Arena where it belongs,” said Dan Gavitt, NCAA vice president of men’s basketball championships.
“We are excited to continue our relationship with the NIT,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports. “The Garden has been hosting the season-ending tournament since its inception and is thrilled to continue providing the opportunity for student-athletes to win a championship on the famed Garden court.”
The first, second and quarterfinal rounds of the NIT are played on campus sites before the event moves to New York City for the semifinals and championship.
The 78th NIT Champion will be crowned on Thursday, April 2. Tip-off for the 2015 Championship game is scheduled for 9 p.m.
About The Madison Square Garden Company
The Madison Square Garden Company is a fully-integrated sports, media and entertainment business. The Company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive the Company's overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports owns and operates the following sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). MSG Sports also features the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, bull riding and tennis. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from the Company’s venues. MSG Media’s television networks consist of regional sports networks, MSG Network and MSG+, collectively referred to as MSG Networks; and Fuse, a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Networks also include high-definition channels, MSG HD and MSG+ HD, and Fuse includes its high-definition channel, Fuse HD. MSG Entertainment is one of the country's leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in the Company’s diverse collection of venues. These venues consist of Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, the Forum in Inglewood, CA, The Chicago Theatre, and the Wang Theatre in Boston, MA. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.
