The NCAA Tournament is the centerpiece of March Madness, our greatest basketball tradition. It pits 68 of college basketball's best teams against one another, featuring a mix of automatic bids for conference champs and at-large bids for the most deserving leftovers.
But, it is not the only tournament that takes center stage this time of year. There is a consolation prize for those who just narrowly miss the cut — an invitation-only tournament played exclusively in college arenas, which has built up its own mystique over the years.
I am, of course, referring to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), which has captured a special place in the hearts of college basketball diehards since its inception in 1938.
While it's easy to write off the NIT as the "lesser" tournament, it tends to produce just as much quality basketball. The stakes are decidedly lower, but it allows 32 schools that otherwise wouldn't be given an opportunity to showcase their talents on the postseason stage. It's a second chance for jilted bubble teams and a unique showcase for programs with something to prove.
The 2025 NIT Tournament will take place from Tuesday, March 16 through Thursday, April 3, when the NIT champ will be crowned in Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. As brackets start rolling out tonight, here's where you can watch the men's NIT announcement.
NIT Selection Show 2025: Date, start time, TV channel and how to watch and stream
- Date: Sunday, March 16
- Time: 9:30 p.m ET
- TV Channel: ESPN2
- Live Stream: ESPN+/Watch ESPN
This is a new dawn for the NIT, which means a slightly different "Selection Show" than we've seen in years past.
Per usual, the NIT will run its picks directly after the NCAA Tournament bracket is announced. What is different about 2025, however, is that the NIT won't be announcing their picks on a TV broadcast (it was on ESPN2 last year). Instead, we will learn the NIT bracket on X and other social media platforms as the powers that be embrace a new media landscape.
Gooooood morning, NIT Nation.
— NIT (@NITMBB) March 16, 2025
Tonight we'll find out our 32-team field right here. For now, go ahead and bookmark our Tournament Central.
➡️ https://t.co/70F5wwDyHO pic.twitter.com/dIOjNceK7p
So, rather than carving out a spot on your couch and hitting the record button on your TV remote, you can turn on tweet notifications and keep that phone handy in the hours after the NCAA Tournament bracket goes live. There is no set time for the NIT announcement, but we can expect it in short order once main Selection Show is complete and we know which teams are actually eligible for this season's NIT.
There won't be any streaming options either, obviously, so those with rooting interest in the NIT can turn those televisions off. Is social media the preferred method for releasing an entire bracket? Only time will tell, but it's a chance for the NIT to hand information directly to fans, without fuss or fanfare. It's a fascinating pivot.