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What the 2025 and 2026 NIT Schedules Mean for… the NIT – The Barking Crow

What the 2025 and 2026 NIT Schedules Mean for… the NIT – The Barking Crow

Over the past two weeks, the NCAA has announced the dates and locations for the 2025 and 2026 NIT Final Fours. The 2025 games will follow the traditional Tuesday/Thursday schedule at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The 2026 games will also be played in Indianapolis, but will now be played on a Thursday/Sunday schedule to better align with the NCAA Tournament, which is also held in Indianapolis.

It’s good news for the NIT, a basketball tournament that for some reason has its share of haters. Back in March, amid unprecedented opt-outs, some speculated that the NIT wouldn’t be around for much longer. Covid has taught us that there are no guarantees with such things, but for now, the NIT is on the calendar.

The good news here goes beyond the fact that the NIT booked a gym. It’s good news which gym booked. Hinkle Fieldhouse and Indianapolis* have proven themselves to be excellent hosts in 2024. Pros:

  • Partner: With Butler, an American dream of a sports department, the NIT has a stable, competent partner, which means the tournament organization will not have to work with a changing group of unknowns for the next two years.
  • Court: The history and magic of Hinkle give the games an atmosphere that is different from, yet similar to, the environment Madison Square Garden has always offered.
  • Location (part one): It’s unlikely that the Indiana State phenomenon of 2024 will ever be repeated — a big local school climbing to its second-highest historical height was a near-miracle for the NIT — but Indianapolis is well-positioned for local fans. I believe the number is 15 power conference schools within 300 miles of the Circle City, though I may be missing a few. That number doesn’t include Dayton, Loyola, Saint Louis, Indiana State, Bradley or almost the entire MAC. Indianapolis is in fertile college basketball territory.
  • Location (Part Two): I’m not sure any other metro area of ​​this size has as high a percentage of college basketball fans as Indianapolis. There is some truth to the phrase “In 49 states…”. Neutral fans are more likely to show up in Indianapolis than in Vegas.

This isn’t to say that the 2025 NIT Final Four will sell out all of its games like the 2024 one. Indiana State’s run was a special circumstance. Selling out the 2025 game will almost certainly require more work from the NIT and its fans (yes, I’m referring to my fellow NIT Stu here). But it’s possible, and given the atmosphere the NIT Championship can still have, there’s reason to be optimistic about the tournament’s future, whether the midterms involve more Hinkle Fieldhouse or more integration with the NCAA Tournament schedule.

However, one question remains:

Will any schools from the Big East, Big Ten, or Big 12 participate in the 2025 NIT?

The College Basketball Crown, Fox Sports’ upcoming return to the Vegas 16, was laughed off the proverbial stage when it was announced. As Stu wrote at the time , “This was the best they could come up with?” Whether it’s a good or bad idea in concept, the practical details are a disaster, with teams having to wait two weeks to play and fans having to travel to Las Vegas in early April. The one thing the tournament does have going for it are Fox Sports’ partnerships with the Big East, Big Ten and Big 12.

We don’t know for sure whether the Big East, Big Ten, and Big 12 have committed their schools to playing in the College Basketball Crown instead of the NIT. We also don’t know for sure whether this commitment would mean anything if the conferences did it. Is the Big East really going to go to war with St. John’s if Rick Pitino says he wants to focus on the transfer portal? Would Fox Sports file a lawsuit over something so trivial? We think the issue comes down to whether there is language relevant to the College Basketball Crown in the schools’ charters, and if not, whether the schools have signed contracts specifically for the College Basketball Crown. We don’t know the answer to that.

What we do know is that Butler, a Big East school, has committed to hosting the 2025 NIT Final Four. That doesn’t mean Butler hopes to play in it—they’d rather make the NCAA Tournament—but it’s an interesting twist, and I’m not sure what to make of it. Ultimately, the best I can say is that I don’t think it’s even remotely certain that any of the Big East, Big Ten, or Big 12 schools will choose the College Basketball Crown over the NIT. I could be wrong, but I haven’t seen anything credibly suggesting that’s a given, let alone confirming it.

Regardless, the 2025 and 2026 announcements are great news for the NIT. The 2025 games will be in a great location. The 2026 games will be closer to the main street of college basketball than any NIT in recent memory. We still haven’t heard anything about concrete commitments from schools to play in the College Basketball Crown in the event they miss the NCAA Tournament, and given the format of that tournament, the over/under for the years it’s played should currently be set at 0.5. I wouldn’t say the NIT is in a great spot or anything, but for the first time in decades, if not ever, the stock is up. For those of us who love it, that’s a good thing.

*One note: The location of the 2026 championship game has yet to be determined. The semifinals are in Hinkle, but the championship could be held elsewhere. This isn’t a huge deal, and I suspect the decision will have at least something to do with TV windows and the Division II and Division III championship games.