NIT Tournament 2018: Full Bracket, Schedule and Top Championship Contenders

The 2018 men's National Invitation Tournament kicked off on Tuesday. Unlike last year, all of the No. 1 seeds moved on to the second round, three of them convincingly and one in double overtime (more on that one below). In fact, the 2018 NIT is the polar opposite of last year, which featured a No. 4 seed beating a No. 6 seed in the championship. This time around, lower seeds went winless on the tournament's first day.

There is still plenty of time for chaos, though, as the rest of the first round kicks off on Wednesday. Until then, here's a look at the bracket, the schedule and the top championship contenders.

Bracket

First-Round Schedule for Wednesday

No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 7 Harvard: 7 p.m. ET

No. 3 LSU vs. No. 6 Louisiana: 7 p.m. ET

No. 4 Penn State vs. No. 5 Temple: 8 p.m. ET

No. 2 Utah vs. No. 7 UC Davis: 9 p.m. ET

No. 4 Mississippi State vs. No. 5 Nebraska: 9 p.m. ET

No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 6 BYU: 10 p.m. ET

No. 4 Boise State at No. 5 Washington: 10 p.m. ET

Second Round

Friday, March 16, through Monday, March 19, at campus sites

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, March 20, and Wednesday, March 21, at campus sites

Semifinals

Tuesday, March 27, at Madison Square Garden in New York City

Finals

Thursday, March 29, at Madison Square Garden in New York City

Top Championship Contenders

Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish were without star forward Bonzie Colson for a 15-game midseason stretch due to a foot injury, losing nine games during that span. Even without Colson for so long, the Fighting Irish nearly made the NCAA tournament and would have done so had Davidson not upset Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 final.

Colson, who averages 19.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, is back for the Fighting Irish now, making them the favorite to win this year's NIT. The team is 15-5 with the senior in the lineup and will have home-court advantage throughout the quarterfinals (should they get that far) by virtue of being a No. 1 seed.

Senior guard Matt Farrell is also looking to close his Notre Dame career on a high note, and he'll be a problem for other teams this month as he averages 16.5 points and 5.5 assists per game. Sophomore TJ Gibbs Jr. (15.3 points) and senior forward Martinas Geben (11.1 points, 8.1 rebounds) round out the double-digit scorers for the Fighting Irish.

Although Notre Dame is undoubtedly disappointed that it did not make the NCAA tournament, look for the Fighting Irish to cruise to New York and win the NIT.

Middle Tennessee

The Blue Raiders have made significant noise in the past two NCAA tournaments: In 2016, they beat No. 2 seed (and national championship favorite) Michigan State in the first round, and in 2017, they took down No. 5 Minnesota.

This year, Middle Tennessee is in the NIT after the tables turned and it found itself on the wrong side of an upset, losing to Southern Miss in the first round of the Conference USA tournament.

While the Blue Raiders endured a tough end to their season, they still had a strong year overall, going 24-7 prior to beating Vermont 91-64 in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday. Middle Tennessee also hung tough with some NCAA tournament teams this season, beating No. 12 seed Murray State and losing to No. 4 Auburn and No. 6 Miami by just six and three points, respectively.

NCAA tournament hero and senior guard Giddy Potts, who posted 19 points against MSU two years ago, averages 13.4 points per game this season. He's the second-leading scorer on a Blue Raiders team paced by senior forward Nick King, who leads the way with 20.9 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Although Middle Tennessee has a tough quadrant with No. 1 Baylor and No. 2 Louisville (who the Blue Raiders play next), the guess here is that the Blue Raiders advance and meet Notre Dame in New York.

Oklahoma State

The Cowboys might be the best team in their quadrant despite being the No. 2 seed, and that's because USC's leading scorer and rebounder (junior forward Chimezie Metu) is not playing in the NIT to avoid injury prior to entering the 2018 NBA draft. The Trojans needed two overtimes to defeat No. 8 UNC Asheville in front of a home crowd of just 1,614 people.

Although USC can be the home team through the rest of the quarterfinals by virtue of being the No. 1 seed in its quadrant, home-court advantage won't be nearly as effective in front of much smaller crowds.

Oklahoma State finished sixth in the brutal Big 12 and beat Kansas (a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament) and Texas Tech (No. 3). The Cowboys run deep offensively, as seven players average at least six points per game. Senior guard Jeffrey Carroll leads the way with 15.2 points per night. They are also well-balanced, ranking in the top 66 in offensive and defensive efficiency, per the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings.

Look for the Cowboys to head to New York and meet Notre Dame in the final.