Printable 2026 women's NIT bracket: Schedule, teams and seeds

Not every team can make it into the Field of 68, whether it be on the men's or women's side. The No. 1 seeds have seemingly been predetermined in women's college basketball. The bubble, however, is wide open. That's where the WNIT should come in. In most years, that would be the case. Yet, it's not so simple in 2026. The WNIT has been replaced by the WBIT. If you have no idea what this is, we have you covered, along with a complete list of schools that will still play in the WNIT. Per ESPN, the last four in are Virginia, Arizona State, Richmond and Nebraska. The first four out are BYU, Texas A&M, Utah and Mississippi State.

The bad news is that none of those teams are likely to take part in the WNIT. Rather, the WBIT (which will confuse all of us) should attract the best competition.

WNIT bracket: Printable version for the 2025 tournament

What's the difference between the WBIT and WNIT?

So, the answer to this question is quite simple, albeit frustrating. The WBIT is an NCAA-owned tournament that rewards the best 32 teams that didn't make the NCAA Tournament. The WNIT, these days, is a step behind the WBIT, as it is owned by a private entity and will get third choice when it comes to interested teams.

The WNIT is owned by Triple Crown Sports. No, they don't own a horse, as far as I can tell. The WBIT is, by most accounts, the more impressive tournament and where most of the big players – like teams in the first four out – will play if they're interested. That leaves the WNIT with the scraps. Yet, basketball is basketball, and any sports addict will watch as long as there are two semi-professional teams on that court.

Women's NIT schedule for 2025 tournament

The women's NIT is announced on March 15. While the teams are announed on the 15, the official bracket isn't revealed until the Monday after. The tournament runs from March 19-21 through the championship game on April 4.

Broadcast info

The vast majority of WNIT games are broadcast on the CBS Sports Network and relevant channel. CBS Sports Network is not available on basic cable, but should be an option through your provider. That is also where you'll be able to find the WNIT Championship Game on April 5 as well.

WNIT automatic qualifiers

The WNIT field will consist of 48 teams, many of which automatically qualify should they miss the NCAA Tournament.

For example, automatic berths are handed out to teams which are:

• the highest-finishing team in the conference's regular-season standings – and
• is not selected for the NCAA Tournament or the WBIT.
• If a team that automatically qualified for the WNIT declines, the spot will then be awarded to either the next highest-finishing team in the designated conference or reallocated to the At-Large berth consideration per the WNIT committee's discretion.

The remaining at-large berths will be rewarded to teams that meet the following criteria:

• An overall record of .500 or better.
• Teams who are under .500 are eligible to submit a waiver to be considered for an At-large spot and the following criteria points will be taken into high consideration.
• Minimum 13 wins, excluding non-DI or exhibition games.1-120 NET ranking

How to score your WNIT bracket

Much like the NIT bracket, scoring your WNIT bracket isn't all that complicated. However, it is made mor difficult thanks to the WBIT, which will claim many of the top programs which didn't make the NCAA Tournament.

• 1-2-4-8-16-32: Award a point for each correct pick in the first round, then multiply the award for the previous round by two for each correct pick in each subsequent round up to 32 points for correctly picking the national title winner. This is the most common type of scoring, including what ESPN and other major online brackets use.
• 1-2-3-4-5-6: Award a point for each correct pick in the first round, then add an extra point for correct pick in each round up to six points for correctly picking the national title winner. This scoring system gives less weight to picks further into the tournament.
• 1-1-1-1-1-1: Award a point for each correct pick regardless of round. This scoring system crowns a winner based on who correctly guessed the largest number of games across the whole tournament.
• Upset bonus: Use one of the above scoring systems but double points for correct picks where a lower seed beat the higher seed. Ex. In the second round, correctly picking the No. 10 seed over the No. 2 seed would earn you four points.
• Seed/multiplier scoring: Use one of the above scoring systems but multiply the points in each round by the winning seed number. Ex. In the second round, correctly picking a No. 10 seed would earn you 20 points while correctly picking a No. 1 seed to win would earn you two points.

Historic moments and past WNIT champions

The first four WNIT championship games were decided by three points or less. The competition hasn't been nearly as fierce of late, with the 2025 result being the closest in nearly a decade. Buffalo defeated Troy by the final score of 88-84. Finally, there was reason to watch the entirety of this tournament championship.

Last 10 NIT champions

While there are some major programs on that list, it's safe to assume the number of Power-4 schools will decrease in the years to come. The WBIT is now the second-tier tournament in women's basketball. The WNIT is a bit of an afterthought, much like the CBI. However, there is still money to be made and a trophy to hand out.