NIT 2017: Updated Format, Latest Bracketology Predictions and Insight

Championship Week always proves to be insightful, especially when it comes to the bubble teams. During this week, the haves and the have-nots are revealed.

This year, some teams have already seen their bubbles burst (e.g. Clemson and Georgia Tech), some others stand on the fence after losses (e.g. Syracuse and Wake Forest) and others need to take advantage of their future opportunities to solidify bids (e.g. Kansas State and Rhode Island).

Teams that don't make the NCAA tournament will undoubtedly be disappointed, but they still have a shot at postseason glory in the NIT.

Here's a look at this year's schedule, the tournament format and the latest bracketology predictions from NYC Buckets.

Men's NIT Schedule

Rounds	Dates	Cities	Locations
First	Tuesday, March 14, and Wednesday, March 15	Campus Sites	TBD
Second	Thursday, March 16, through Monday, March 20	Campus Sites	TBD
Quarterfinals	Tuesday, March 21, and Wednesday, March 22	Campus Sites	TBD
Semifinals	Tuesday, March 28	New York City	Madison Square Garden
Championship	Thursday, March 30	New York City	Madison Square Garden

Information via NCAA.com.

Format

The NIT is a 32-team single-elimination tournament. The 32 teams are split into four groups of eight and seeded No. 1 through No. 8. The higher seeds host the lower seeds on their campus until the semifinals and finals, which take place in Madison Square Garden.

Latest Bracketology Predictions and Insight

The NIT bracket will not be released until Sunday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU, but NYC Buckets just dropped an NIT projection at midnight on Thursday. Here are three notable points from those picks.

1. Majors on the Top Lines

Syracuse, Kansas State and Iowa all earned No. 1 seeds in NYC Buckets' latest projections. The theme here: All of those teams had up-and-down conference campaigns, finishing in the middle of the pack in their respective leagues.

The debate the selection committee must have every year is whether a middling major team should make the field over a top mid-major team (like Illinois State). NYC Buckets believes that ISU will make the NCAA tournament at this time, leaving some major schools playing in the NIT.

Syracuse's season is over (for now) as it lost to Miami 62-57 in the second round of the ACC tournament. Kansas State and Iowa play Baylor and Indiana, respectively, on Thursday and can still improve their resumes before the selection committee makes a final decision.

2. Automatic Bids

Teams that win their conference's regular-season title but do not reign victorious in the conference tournament are automatically invited to the NIT should they not make the NCAA field.

Right now, five teams fit that bill: Monmouth, UNC Greensboro, Oakland, Belmont and South Dakota. This is the second straight year in which Monmouth, most famous for the Monmouth Bench Mob from last season, has won the regular-season title but failed to win the conference tournament.

Interestingly enough, none of these teams have been given higher than a No. 5 seed, which means that none of them would host a first-round game. That's probably a fair assessment, however, as those schools aren't as strong as other teams on the top-four lines.

3. Fun Teams and Storylines To Watch

The NIT doesn't get nearly as much attention as the NCAA tournament for obvious reasons, but it still has some interesting teams and storylines to watch every year.

This year is no exception. Fans may see Central Florida and its 7'6" center Tacko Fall, who is the cornerstone of the Golden Knights' elite defense. Indiana, Cal and Texas A&M have NBA-level talent (check Jonathan Wasserman's latest Bleacher Report NBA mock draft for more information), and BYU has three underclassmen who will eventually lead the Cougars back to a prominent standing in the NCAA tournament in the next year or two.

In other words, we might be seeing some future NBA stars (and solid teams) in the NIT.