NIT 2016: Tournament Dates, Seed Format and Bracket Release Info

Bubble teams that watch their NCAA tournament dreams shatter on Sunday night will settle for college basketball's ultimate consolation prize: an NIT invite.

It's all about perspective for schools partaking in the second-tier event. Sure, it's a cruel reminder about not making the main stage. A participation trophy of sorts for student-athletes simultaneously too old and too young to appreciate such a gesture.

On the other hand, it's still a competitive tournament featuring many superb programs. Most teams aren't good enough to make the NIT cut, and those bubble squads have no prominent recourse at their disposal.

NBA fans won't get a chance to watch Anthony Davis do his thing this postseason. Even if LSU doesn't make the field of 68, Ben Simmons' college career won't end just yet. 

Shortly after Sunday's NCAA tournament unveil, ESPNU will reveal the NIT bracket at 8:30 p.m. ET. On Tuesday, the consolatory fun begins.

Round	Date	Venues
First, Second, Quarterfinals	March 15-23	Campus of Higher Seed
Semifinals	March 29	Madison Square Garden, New York City
Finals	March 31	Madison Square Garden, New York City

NIT Format

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

The NIT offers half the fun of the main bracket, containing a 32-team field divided into eight-team quadrants. Like the more popular tournament, it adheres to single-elimination rules. Unlike the NCAA tournament, the higher seeds will host home games until the semifinals, where the venue shifts to Madison Square Garden.

The first four teams left out of the NCAA tournament receive automatic No. 1 seeds. Teams that finished the season with the conference's best record but lost out in the postseason tournament and Selection Sunday will settle for a guaranteed NIT spot. 

Upsets plagued most small-conference tournaments, engineering several unlikely NCAA tournament participants. As a result, a whopping nine schools, listed by Sporting News' Troy Machir before Tuesday night's game, are entitled an NIT bid if not invited to the Big Dance:

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North Florida, High Point, Wichita State, Belmont, Bucknell, Monmouth, Hofstra, IPFW, Valpo.

Champ Week has not been kind to No. 1 seeds.

— Troy Machir (@TroyMachir) March 8, 2016"

With most eyes attached to the NCAA tournament, this parity isn't exactly something to celebrate. Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg wrote about the current system potentially robbing the tournament of worthy contestants:

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All the upsets will make for a weaker NCAA tournament because some of the nation's best small-conference squads will be relegated to the NIT. March Madness will miss Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker if Wichita State does not earn an at-large bid, as will it also be worse off if a deep, experienced Valparaiso team is left home or if Monmouth's fun-loving bench is doomed to the NIT. 

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But hey, its loss is the NIT's gain. The secondary tournament could absorb talent from a diluted NCAA tournament pool. 

Monmouth seemed like a solid bet to transfer its bench antics to the national spotlight, but the Hawks suffered a 79-76 loss to Iona in the MAAC finals, giving the Gaels a March Madness bid instead. 

The Hawks are a compelling case for the big bracket, ranking No. 58 in RPI. While they hold impressive wins over Notre Dame, USC and UCLA, they also carry the burden of three road losses to teams outside the RPI top 200. 

Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde said Monmouth shouldn't have to settle for an NIT bid:

Yet Wichita State stands out among the group as a deserving March Madness menace. According to KenPom.com, the Shockers lead the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, placing them No. 11 in the overall team ratings. 

For those needing more proof than one metric, their 89.0 defensive rating, per Sports-Reference.com, also tops everyone. As for old-school holdouts still afraid of data beyond the basic box score, they have yielded the fewest points per game (59.2).

They're also, however, 4-7 against top-100 RPI teams. Non-believers can point to a weak schedule to snap their four-year streak of NCAA tournament bids. Per CBS Sports' Matt Norlander, head coach Gregg Marshall expressed optimism of the selection committee deciding otherwise, citing his club's past postseason success as well as two close losses suffered with guards VanVleet and Landry Shamet sidelined:

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I think what's giving us an opportunity this year is the fact our team is so well-known. We've got a couple of college basketball icons. ... They know this core group is capable. But the problem is Fred was hurt when we played our four key games. I believe in all of my heart that we win against Alabama and Southern Cal if we had either of those guards eligible.

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If Wichita State receives NCAA tournament admission, it's once again a pesky out capable of swarming the opposition to another Sweet 16 run. If not, don't be shocked if the Shockers instead take home the NIT title.