The National Invitation Tournament and Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament have announced changes to their respective 2027 fields, with both tournaments featuring 24 teams and adopting updated selection policies and procedures. The NIT championship will once again be held alongside the Men’s Final Four, with Detroit Mercy hosting the game on Sunday, April 4. The WBIT semifinals and championship will be hosted by Wichita State on March 29 and 31.
NIT Format
The first round of the NIT will now feature eight games, with the winners facing the top eight seeds in the second round. Each round of the NIT, until the championship, will be held at campus sites.
NIT Selections
The selection process for the NIT will feature slight changes.
Rather than the top 12 conferences receiving exempt bids as they did in the past, exempt bids are now allocated to institutions from the top 10 conferences using Ken Pomeroy’s rankings. Each of those conferences will receive an exempt bid, with the highest-ranked eligible team from that conference guaranteed inclusion in the NIT field. In addition to the 10 exempt bids through conference qualification, the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference will each receive one exempt bid.
The exempt bid recipient from each conference will continue to be identified using the average of the ESPN Basketball Power Index, Ken Pomeroy Rating, Kevin Pauga Index, NCAA Evaluation Tool, Strength of Record, Torvik and Wins Above Bubble rankings. All teams receiving an exempt bid will be guaranteed the opportunity to host NIT competition.
The NIT will continue to award automatic bids to regular-season conference champions that do not receive a bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and maintain an average ranking of 125 or better across the selection metrics listed above.
WBIT Format
The first round of the WBIT will now feature eight games, with the winners facing the top eight seeds in the second round. The WBIT preliminary rounds will be played at campus sites before moving to Wichita, Kansas, for the semifinals and championship.
WBIT Selections
The WBIT will now require a minimum .500 overall winning percentage for teams to be considered for an at-large bid. Any team with an average NET and WAB ranking of 100 or better will automatically be placed on the committee’s under-consideration list. Additionally, regular-season conference champions whose average NET and WAB rankings are 110 or better will receive automatic qualification to the WBIT.
Other NIT & WBIT Selection Info
Following the expansion of the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships by eight teams, the NIT and WBIT fields have been reduced from 32 to 24 teams. The overall number of NCAA-supported postseason participation opportunities for men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes remains unchanged at 100. The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees will continue to identify the “First Four Out,” consisting of teams that narrowly missed receiving a bid to the NCAA tournaments, which will expand to 76 teams in 2027. Those teams will receive automatic qualification to the NIT and WBIT and will serve as the No. 1 seeds. Those teams are afforded the opportunity to host games until the tournaments reach their respective final sites. If any of the teams decline to participate, the No. 1 seeds will be selected by the NIT and WBIT committees.
When Will the NIT and WBIT Fields be Announced?
The NIT and WBIT fields will be announced on Selection Sunday, March 14.
When and Where Are the NIT Semifinals and Championship?
The NIT semifinals will tip off March 30 at campus sites, and the 89th NIT championship game will be played at Detroit Mercy on Sunday, April 4.
When and Where Are the WBIT Semifinals and Championship?
The WBIT semifinals and championship will be at Koch Arena in Wichita on March 29 and 31.
Where can I Watch the NIT And WBIT Games on TV?
ESPN is the exclusive broadcast partner of the NIT and WBIT. All games will air on ESPN networks.
