NIT, WBIT will pare down to 24 teams when NCAA tournament increases field to 76 in 2027

The NCAA took a more-the-merrier approach this spring when it expanded its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to 76 teams. As a result, though, college basketball’s secondary postseason tourneys are shrinking.

Both the men’s National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) announced Thursday that they’re dropping from 32 to 24 teams and adopting new selection processes in 2027.

In recent years, including as the NIL and transfer portal era has unfolded, these secondary postseason tournaments have struggled to stay relevant, with the NIT notably missing out on power-conference teams that have declined invitations after failing to receive an NCAA tournament bid.

Last season, for instance, the NIT featured only four power-conference programs: Auburn, Wake Forest, Cal and Oklahoma State. The Tigers wound up winning the tournament in Steven Pearl’s first season replacing his father, Bruce, as head coach. Auburn was among the “First Four Out” of the 68-team NCAA tournament field in 2026. So was Indiana, except the Hoosiers turned down an invitation from the NIT.

With even fewer deserving, and perhaps willing, power-conference teams to pick from next year, the NIT is downsizing, along with the WBIT. That’s bad news for mid-major programs, who for years have used those tourneys as an opportunity to shine in the postseason and now will have a fewer spots to compete for.

First Four Out teams will still receive automatic qualification to the NIT and WBIT. If they accept those invitations, they will be guaranteed No. 1 seeds and the chance to host games until the NIT final and WBIT semifinals, respectively. The 2027 NIT final will take place on April 4 at Detroit Mercy, a day before the men’s national championship at Detroit’s Ford Field.

As for the 2027 WBIT semifinals and final, those will be held on March 29 and 31 at Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. For reference, the women’s national title game is slated for April 4 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The NIT has consisted of 32 teams since 2007, when it cut down the number of participants from 40. But the tournament’s lost its luster, in part because of its move away from Madison Square Garden.

Through a slightly altered selection process, the NIT will now ensure a bid to each of KenPom’s 10-highest ranked conferences, as well as to the ACC and SEC (previously, the top 12 conferences received exempt bids). The 12 teams who earn these new bids will be determined based on an average of rating systems, such as ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, KenPom and Torvik, and will all be able to host at least one NIT game.

The updated WBIT selection policy mandates a minimum .500 overall winning percentage for at-large participants. The average of a team’s NET and Wins Above Bubble rankings will be the primary factors dictating its WBIT prospects.