List of NIT Champions
The first National Invitation Tournament (NIT) took place in 1938, one year before the first NCAA Tournament. Founded by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, the NIT was originally considered to be the more prestigious of the two major postseason tournaments in men’s college basketball. Over time, the NCAA Tournament became more popular and prestigious and the NIT is now considered to be somewhat of a “consolation” event. Currently, the NIT invites 32 teams that were not selected for the NCAA Tournament to fill out the field. The selection process is similar to that of the NCAA Tournament in that the resumes of potential teams are considered based on their success during the season. Teams that win their conference regular season title but fail to both win their conference tournament or receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament are automatically invited to the NIT. The structure differs from the NCAA in that only the Semifinals and Finals are held at a neutral court (Madison Square Garden), while all other rounds are played at the arena of the home team. Below is a list of NIT Champions, runners-up and the head coaches for each team:
** these NIT titles were later vacated by the NCAA; 1997 had been won by Michigan, 1998 by Minnesota and 2003 by St. John’s
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Division I Postseason Tournaments: NCAA Tournament | NIT | CBI | CIT
Other National Champions: NCAA Division II | NCAA Division III | NAIA Division I
