NIT 2023: Updated Bracket, Schedule and Predictions Heading into Men's Semifinals

The Final Four of the NCAA men's basketball tournament won't be set until Sunday night. However, the National Invitation Tournament field is already down to four teams.

Known as the tournament that features the best teams to miss out on March Madness, the NIT began March 14 with 32 teams participating in the event. Now, only a quartet remains: North Texas, UAB, Utah Valley and Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is the most notable remaining school, considering it's a member of the Big Ten and the only team from a Power Five conference still standing. But any of these teams could end up winning the tournament title, which is a decent way to finish a season, even if it's not as prestigious as a national championship.

Here's everything you need to know heading into the semifinals of the 2023 NIT.

NIT Semifinals Schedule

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ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO - MARCH 15: The NIT logo is displayed on the court before a first round game between the Utah Valley Wolverines and the New Mexico Lobos in the 2023 National Invitation Tournament at The Pit on March 15, 2023 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)

Tuesday, March 28

No. 2 North Texas vs. No. 2 Wisconsin, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

Utah Valley vs. No. 4 UAB, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

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Thursday, March 30

Championship game, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Wisconsin Will Notch Another Close Win to Advance

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MADISON, WISCONSIN - MARCH 19: Steven Crowl #22 of the Wisconsin Badgers scores over Zach Cleveland #25 of the Liberty Flames during the first half of the game in the second round of the NIT Men's Basketball Tournament at Kohl Center on March 19, 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Wisconsin had a tough end to the regular season, in part because of having to play tough Big Ten competition. The Badgers entered the NIT having lost nine of 14 games, which included falling to Ohio State in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.

It can sometimes be difficult for Power Five teams to get motivated for the NIT after missing out on the NCAA tourney, but that hasn't been the case for Wisconsin. It has taken down Bradley, Liberty and Oregon over the first three rounds to reach the semifinals.

The Badgers are also finding ways to pull out close victories. They blew out Bradley 81-62 in the first round, but they then notched a 75-71 win over Liberty and a 61-58 win over Oregon.

"Just really proud of this group," Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said, per Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It's not been perfect. It's not been pretty at times, but one thing that can never be denied is their perseverance and their unwillingness to quit."

That's also why Wisconsin is in a good position to beat North Texas in an NIT semifinal matchup and advance to the championship game. Because the Badgers are the more talented of the two teams.

Wisconsin has four players averaging between 11.3 and 12.2 points per game. That group is led by 7'0" junior center Steven Crowl, who will likely prevent matchup problems for North Texas in Tuesday's semifinal contest.

Crowl is capable of taking over a game, as he showed during the first round of the NIT when he scored 36 points on 12-for-16 shooting against Bradley. It seems probable he could have a similar showing against the Mean Green.

This NIT semifinal could be close for a bit, but Wisconsin should pull away from North Texas in the second half. Expect the Badgers to win handily to advance to the championship game.

UAB Will Ride Momentum into Championship Game

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NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 22: UAB Blazers guard Jordan Walker (10) scores on a layup around Vanderbilt Commodores guard Tyrin Lawrence (0) and Vanderbilt Commodores forward Malik Dia (23) during a quarterfinal round game of the National Invitational Tournament between the Vanderbilt Commodores and UAB Blazers, March 22, 2023 at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It's already been a historic season for UAB. With a 67-59 victory over Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals of the NIT, the Blazers now have 28 wins this season, the most in program history. Now, they'll look to win this tournament for the first time after notching third-place finishes in each of their previous two NIT appearances.

UAB is riding a lot of momentum into the semifinals. It has won 11 of its past 12 games, with its lone defeat during that span coming when it lost to Florida Atlantic in the championship game of the Conference USA tournament. And the Owls are now in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tourney, so that isn't a bad loss for the Blazers to have on their resume.

Jordan Walker has been instrumental in UAB's success this season. The senior guard is averaging 22.5 points per game and has the potential to put up a high scoring total every time the Blazers are in action.

In UAB's quarterfinal win over Vanderbilt, Walker scored 21 points, his most in any of the Blazers' first three NIT games. So he may be heating up a bit after a slow start to the tournament for him.

Utah Valley is the only unseeded team remaining in the NIT, so it's a bit of a surprise that it's still alive in the tournament. The Wolverines weren't expected to go this far, but they've proved they could be a challenge for UAB on Tuesday.

Still, the Blazers are the better team, especially when Walker is playing at a high level. So they should be favorited to win this semifinal matchup.

While this contest could also be close, the prediction here is that UAB will lead for most of the way and end up on top.