NIT Tournament 2017: Full Bracket, Schedule and Top Championship Contenders

If the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament follows the NIT's lead, then we are about to see mass chaos over the next few days.

Down went No. 3 seeds Indiana, Utah and Alabama, losing to No. 6 seeds Georgia Tech, Boise State and Richmond, respectively.

Down went No. 2 Clemson, losing to No. 7 Oakland.

And down went No. 1 Cal, losing to No. 8 Cal Bakersfield.

At this rate, we might see a No. 6 seed face off against a No. 8 seed in the final.

Here's a look at the full NIT bracket below (you can check out NCAA.com for the full first-round results so far), the rest of the first-round schedule and the three top championship contenders (in ascending order) remaining in the field.

NIT Bracket

Top Championship Contenders

3. Iowa

The Hawkeyes were knocking on the door of an NCAA tournament bid after a strong regular-season finish (four straight wins) catapulted them into a four-way tie for fifth place in the conference.

However, Indiana crushed Iowa, 93-75, in the second round of the Big Ten tournament, effectively ending any March Madness dreams.

Still, the Hawkeyes are a solid team who should be a tough out in the NIT. Senior guard Peter Jok leads the team with 19.8 points per game. He's also a dead-eye free-throw shooter, knocking down 92 percent of his shots from the charity stripe.

Iowa is a deep team (10 players average at least 13.3 minutes per game), which could also pose a problem for teams in the NIT field.

The Hawkeyes also have a slightly easier path to the final after No. 2 seed Clemson and No. 3 seed Alabama were knocked out in the first round.

2. Illinois State

The Redbirds have a tough draw, as matchups against 7'6" center Tacko Fall and the UCF Knights and NCAA tournament bubble team Illinois potentially loom in the second and quarterfinal rounds, respectively.

But Illinois State is a really good team in its own right, winning 27 games (no NIT team won more) and taking the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title. A bad loss to Wichita State in the conference tournament final (71-51) thrashed ISU's hopes for an automatic bid.

ISU's calling card is its stout defense, as it ranks 13th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per kenpom.com. The Redbirds also play at a slow pace (310th, per kenpom.com). Both those facts lead to a scoring defense of just 61 points per game, which ranks sixth in Division I.

Senior forward Deontae Hawkins leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 13.8 points and 6.6 boards per contest.

1. Syracuse

There's one reason only why Syracuse is the pick to win the NIT, and that's because it doesn't have to leave its home state for the entire tournament, which is a massive advantage over every team remaining.

The Orange get the benefit of playing three home games (should they progress that far) in the Carrier Dome, where it has gone 16-3 this year (as opposed to 2-11 in road or neutral-site games). Syracuse beat ACC foes and NCAA tournament participants Duke, Florida State and Virginia in the Dome this season, so it has taken down top competition.

Madison Square Garden will feel like Carrier Dome South if Syracuse makes it to the semifinals and final, as it's only four-plus hours northwest of New York City.

(In fairness, that didn't exactly go well when Syracuse played in Brooklyn during the ACC tournament and lost to Miami, but that was also a noon ET game on a weekday. At night time on March 28 and 30, many more Syracuse fans are likely to show.)

Therefore, 'Cuse is the pick to win the NIT.