nits
2026 NIT Brackets: Complete College Basketball Tournament Schedule, TV Channels, Live Streaming, Scores originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
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The college basketball invitational tournament may be canceled, but the national invitational tournament is back.
This year’s NIT will feature 32 teams, including teams that were snubbed in March Madness such as Auburn and New Mexico.
The tournament will begin with the first round on March 17-18, with the championship game taking place on April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s NIT bracket, including key dates and TV and streaming options for each round.
NIT Bracket 2026
NIT Bracket 2026
NCAA.com
How to watch NIT 2026: TV channels, live broadcast
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TV channel: ESPN Network Series (ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU)
NIT games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks (ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU). Viewers can also stream NIT games live on the ESPN app and Fubo.
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NIT schedule, scores 2026
Round 1: Tuesday, March 17
|
game |
|---|
|
freedom 77George Mason University 71 |
|
UNCW 68Yale 67 |
|
Wichita State 74Wyoming 70 |
|
Oklahoma 84Davidson 80 |
|
Tulsa 89Stephen F. Austin 84 (overtime) |
|
Seattle U 67St. Thomas (Minnesota) 52 |
|
Auburn 78South Alabama 67 |
|
University of Nevada LV 75University of California, Irvine 72 |
Round 1: Wednesday, March 18
|
game |
|---|
|
Wake Forest 82Navy 72 |
|
Illinois 79Kent State University 58 |
|
George Washington 79Utah Valley 78 |
|
Dayton 80Bradley 66 |
|
New Mexico 107Sam Houston 83 |
|
Nevada 89Murray State 75 |
|
St. Joseph 69Colorado 64 |
|
California 91UIC 73 |
Round 2: Saturday, March 21
|
game |
|---|
|
Dayton 80University of North Carolina Wilmington 61 |
|
Nevada 73freedom 63 |
Round 2: Sunday, March 22
|
game |
Time (Eastern Time) |
TV/live broadcast |
|---|---|---|
|
Wake Forest University vs. Illinois State University |
4:30 pm |
ESPN2, ESPN App, Fubo |
|
Auburn University vs Seattle University |
6:30 pm |
ESPN2, ESPN App, Fubo |
|
Tulsa vs University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
7pm |
ESNU, ESPN App, Fubo |
|
New Mexico vs. George Washington |
8pm |
ESPN app |
|
Oklahoma State University vs Wichita State University |
8:30 pm |
ESPN2, ESPN App, Fubo |
|
University of California vs. Saint Joseph’s University |
9pm |
ESNU, ESPN App, Fubo |
Quarter-finals: Tuesday 24 March
|
game |
Time (Eastern Time) |
TV/live broadcast |
|---|---|---|
|
To be determined and to be determined |
To be determined |
To be determined |
|
To be determined and to be determined |
To be determined |
To be determined |
Quarter-finals: Wednesday 25 March
|
game |
Time (Eastern Time) |
TV/live broadcast |
|---|---|---|
|
To be determined and to be determined |
To be determined |
To be determined |
|
To be determined and to be determined |
To be determined |
To be determined |
Semifinals: Thursday 2 April
|
game |
Time (Eastern Time) |
TV/live broadcast |
|---|---|---|
|
To be determined and to be determined |
7pm |
ESPN, ESPN App, Fubo |
|
To be determined and to be determined |
9:30 pm |
ESPN, ESPN App, Fubo |
Championship: Sunday, April 5
|
game |
Time (Eastern Time) |
TV/live broadcast |
|---|---|---|
|
To be determined and to be determined |
8pm |
ESPN2, ESPN App, Fubo |
NIT Site 2026
(Note: The first round, second round and quarterfinals will be played at the home court of the higher seeded team.)
|
round |
date |
Place |
Place |
|
first round |
March 17-18 |
higher seed host |
campus site |
|
second round |
March 21-22 |
higher seed host |
campus site |
|
quarterfinals |
March 24-25 |
higher seed host |
campus site |
|
semifinals |
April 2 |
Indianapolis |
Hinkle Arena |
|
championship |
April 5 |
Indianapolis |
gainbridge arena |