NIT 2019: Known Tournament Info, Format and Championship Dates

Even if a team doesn't make the NCAA tournament, that doesn't mean its season is over.

For 32 teams that won't be participating in March Madness, there is the National Invitation Tournament.

Although every team aspires to make the NCAA tourney, the NIT provides an opportunity for college players to play more games and perhaps end their season, or even their career, with a championship.

Last year, Penn State won the NIT by beating Utah in the championship game at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Although the stakes aren't as high as the NCAA tournament, there will still be some exciting games and moments during the NIT.

NIT Bracket Reveal Information

Date: Sunday, March 17

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPNU

2019 NIT Schedule

First round: March 19-20 at campus sites

Second round: March 21-25 at campus sites

Quarterfinals: March 26-27 at campus sites

Semifinals: April 2 at Madison Square Garden

Final: April 4 at Madison Square Garden

NIT Format

The NIT is a single-elimination tournament, just like conference tourneys and the NCAA tournament. The bracket is separated into four regions of eight schools, each seeded No. 1 to No. 8.

In the first round, second round and quarterfinals, the higher-seeded team hosts the game. The four teams that make the semifinals will play out the rest of the tournament at Madison Square Garden.

Teams that won its conference's regular-season championship but don't make the NCAA tournament are automatically invited to play in the NIT. More invitations will be extended as well, and the best teams that don't make the NCAA tourney will likely play in the NIT.

Last year, the NIT experimented with some rule changes, and that will again be the case this season.

One-and-one free throws will be eliminated when team fouls are reset at the 10-minute mark of each half, and instead, there will be two bonus free throws. The free-throw lane will be widened, while the 3-point line will be extended to 22 feet, 1.75 inches.

2019 NIT Field

Although the NCAA tournament bracket hasn't been revealed yet, it's possible to speculate which teams could be NIT-bound in 2019.

Wright State (Horizon League), Loyola-Chicago (Missouri Valley Conference), South Dakota State (Summit League), Campbell (Big South), Hofstra (CAA), St. Francis (Pa.) (NEC) and Sam Houston State (Southland) are among the teams that were regular-season conference champions that could be in the NIT.

Belmont (Ohio Valley Conference) and Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun) are bubble teams for the NCAA tournament that will also automatically be invited to the NIT and should be in the field if either doesn't get into March Madness.

Perhaps the most notable team that should be in this year's NIT field is Loyola-Chicago. The Ramblers were the Cinderella team of last year's NCAA tournament, making a run to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed. However, they lost to Michigan in the national semifinal.

Loyola-Chicago became a popular team across the country, and its 99-year-old team chaplain, Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, was in the national spotlight.

The Ramblers have had a bit of a down season, losing to Bradley in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. However, they should still be a fun team to watch, and for fans to root for, in the NIT.

Even though Loyola-Chicago won't be in the NCAA tournament again this year, it will still be motmotivated end the season strong.

"We've got a lot of winners on our team," Ramblers guard Clayton Custer said, according to the Loyola Phoenix. "We've got a lot of people who have a lot of pride, and we're not going to go out there and not play hard or whatever at NIT. We're going to go at it to win it. That's how we always have been, and that's what we're going to do at NIT."