NIT 2024: Updated Format, Latest Bracketology Predictions for Men's Tourney
The 2024 NIT will have a new look to it.
For years, the NIT guaranteed participation to regular-season conference champions that failed to win their conference tournament.
Now, the tournament will reward more programs from power conferences.
Two teams each from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Pac-12 and SEC will make the 32-team field.
Those participants will be decided by the best NET ranking of the teams that did not qualify for the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
After that, a selection committee will choose the final 20 participants. The teams confirmed as the "Last Four Out" of the NCAA tournament will join the 12 power-conference squads as first-round hosts.
The new format will likely continue the trend of power-conference NIT winners. Eight of the last 11 champions came from the top six leagues.
Twelve Power Conference Teams
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Thursday's conference tournament results should give us a better idea of which power-conference teams are NIT bound.
The ACC quarterfinal between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Pittsburgh Panthers and the Big East quarterfinal featuring the Seton Hall Pirates and St. John's Red Storm could be bubble elimination games.
St. John's, Wake Forest and Pitt are the first three teams out in the latest NCAA tournament projection from Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller.
Losses on Thursday would likely confirm NIT participation for two teams. The Wake-Pitt winner probably has to win one more ACC tournament game to get into the Big Dance.
As of Thursday morning, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh were ahead of the Virginia Cavaliers in the NET ranking. That would place both squads in the NIT if they do not make the NCAA tournament.
St. John's and the Villanova Wildcats would earn the Big East's NIT auto bids if they miss out on the Big Dance. Villanova is Miller's fourth team out.
The other eight projected power-conference NIT participants would be the Ohio State Buckeyes, Iowa Hawkeyes, Cincinnati Bearcats, Oklahoma Sooners, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Texas A&M Aggies, Utah Utes and Oregon Ducks.
Twenty At-Large Teams
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The NIT field would have filled up quickly under the old rules because a handful of No. 1 seeds fell in the first week of mid-major conference tournaments.
However, the new format puts 20 at-large teams into the field and we may not see a ton of mid-major participants.
The Indiana State Sycamores would be the main mid-major draw to the NIT if they fail to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
The Missouri Valley regular-season champion is Miller's last team in at the moment.
The New Mexico Lobos are another team to watch over the next few days. Anything but a deep run in the Mountain West tournament would confirm their NIT participation.
A handful of NIT at-large bids could be granted to the AAC and A-10, which may be one-bid leagues if the Florida Atlantic Owls and Dayton Flyers win their respective conference tournaments.
NCAA tournament bid stealers in either league would have a trickle-down effect to the NIT that could drop Indiana State and a few other teams.
Mid-major representation will be much smaller than in previous NITs, Look for the San Francisco Dons and Bradley Braves to two of the few mid-major squads outside of the AAC and A-10 who get into the 32-team field.
The rest of the field could be filled out by a few extra power-conference squads. The ACC and Pac-12 are only expected to get two or three teams into the NCAA tournament. The second-tier teams in those leagues could snatch some NIT bids.
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