NIT, WBIT cutting down to 24 teams in wake of expanded NCAA tournaments — SkimNews
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- NIT and WBIT will drop from 32 teams to 24 beginning in 2027, the NCAA announced Thursday, after the men's and women's tournaments expanded to 76 teams.
- The men's NIT will guarantee bids to each of the top 10 conferences per Ken Pomeroy's rankings plus one bid each for the ACC and SEC, with those 12 teams eligible to host at least one game.
- Teams identified as the First Four Out from the NCAA tournament will receive No. 1 seeds in both the NIT and WBIT.
- WBIT eligibility will require at least a .500 record, with the NCAA Evaluation Tool and wins above bubble serving as primary selection factors.
- NIT games will remain at campus sites through the semifinals; the final returns to the NCAA Final Four footprint — this season's finale is April 4 at Detroit Mercy, one day before the NCAA championship at Ford Field.
- The men's tournament expanded from 68 to 76 teams for the first time since 2011, and the women's tournament expanded for the first time since 2022.
- NIT and WBIT fields will be announced March 14, following the Selection Sunday reveals of the 76-team brackets.
Why it matters: The secondary tournaments lose a quarter of their fields, reshaping the postseason path for bubble teams: the top 12 conference-finished squads now get automatic NIT bids and home games, while the First Four Out skip to No. 1 seeds, concentrating opportunity among teams the NCAA already values.
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