NIT 2019: Bracket, Times, Dates, Live-Streaming and TV Schedule

While most fans have their attention on the NCAA tournament, 32 other teams will get a chance to end the year on a high note in the 2019 National Invitation Tournament.

From small schools who played well all year before losing in their conference tournament to power-conference squads that came just short of earning a bid, there is a wide mix of talented squads in this year's NIT field.

For young players, there is a chance to build on this season's success to become more dangerous next season. For seniors, this will be the last opportunity to win games in their college uniform.

Everyone will be playing for something, which could lead to a competitive tournament over the next few weeks.

Bracket

Printable bracket available at NCAA.com.

First Round Schedule

Tuesday, March 19

No. 1 UNC Greensboro vs. No. 8 Campbell; 7 p.m. ET (ESPN3)

No. 4 Davidson vs. No. 5 Lipscomb; 7 p.m. ET (ESPN3)

No. 2 North Carolina State vs. No. 7 Hofstra; 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 8 St. Francis (PA); 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

No. 3 Furman vs. No. 6 Wichita State; 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

No. 3 Memphis vs. No. 6 San Diego; 8 p.m. ET (ESPN3)

No. 4 Providence vs. No. 5 Arkansas; 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

No. 2 Texas vs. No. 7 South Dakota State; 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)

No. 2 Creighton vs. No. 7 Loyola-Chicago; 9 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

No. 4 Colorado vs. No. 5 Dayton; 11 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Wednesday, March 20

No. 3 Georgetown vs. No. 6 Harvard; 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 7 Wright State; 7 p.m. ET (ESPN3)

No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 8 Norfolk State; 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 6 Toledo; 7 p.m. ET (ESPN3)

No. 1 TCU vs. No. 8 Sam Houston State; 9 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Butler; 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Full schedule and TV times can be found here. All games can be viewed online at WatchESPN.

Tournament Schedule

First Round: March 19-20

Second Round: March 21-25

Quarterfinals: March 26-27

Semifinals: April 2

Championship Game: April 4

Semifinals and championship will be played at Madison Square Garden, New York. All other games will be played at campus sites.

Teams to Watch

Clemson

Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Going 1-10 against Quadrant 1 teams likely sunk Clemson's chances of reaching the NCAA tournament, but it also really showed how brutal the schedule was for the ACC team.

The Tigers did at least take care of business against weaker opponents, which it will likely see a lot of in this tournament.

Although the losses racked up, the team was efficient on the court throughout the year, especially on the defensive end. Per KenPom.com, Clemson had the No. 11 defense in the entire country, making it the 29th overall team in the sport.

This is usually enough to be in the NCAA tournament, but the squad will instead have to make its mark in the NIT.

Marcquise Reed will have a chance to carry the squad to a few wins on his own as the Tigers try to keep their season going as long as possible.

Indiana

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

There might not have been too many worse stretches this season than when Indiana lost 12 of 13 games in January and February. Teams with no shot of reaching the NCAA tournament rarely struggled as much as this bubble team.

The Hoosiers finally recovered down the stretch, earning impressive wins over Wisconsin and Michigan State to show how good this group can be when playing at its best.

They ended up just outside of the Big Dance as one of the first four teams out, although they have no one to blame but themselves:

Still, this is a team that still has something to prove going forward.

Freshman Romeo Langford will now get one last chance to prove his play at the college level before likely heading to the NBA draft. Juwan Morgan will close out his collegiate career as well as a senior who has had big moments throughout his time at Indiana.

This duo on its own is likely enough to win some games in the NIT, while the rest of the team can provide plenty of help for a possible deep run in this tournament.

Furman

Richard Shiro/Associated Press

UNC Greensboro was listed as the first team out of the NCAA tournament, but the best Southern Conference team not in the field was probably Furman.

The Paladins got on the national radar with an upset win over Villanova in November and stayed up there with a 12-0 start that got them inside the Associated Press Top 25. Even with some up-and-down play the rest of the year, the squad still finished No. 41 in the NET rankings, well ahead of bubble teams like Ohio State (55), Temple (56) and Minnesota (61).

One of the keys has been the play of senior forward Matt Rafferty, who is currently averaging 17.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. His all-around play helped him lead the entire country with 8.3 win shares, per Sports Reference.

With his high level of play all over the court and a team defense that plays well without fouling, Furman can make things difficult on every team it plays.

Considering the squad might have more to prove than some of the major-conference squads, this could lead to a deep NIT run.