Selection Sunday is annually the most stressful day for college basketball fans everywhere. For teams that don’t make it to the Big Dance, there is, of course, a consolation prize: the NIT.
The NIT actually predates the NCAA tournament by one year, and it was once the sport’s preeminent postseason event. Now, it’s where squads that don’t get bids to the main event go to finish out their seasons.
Oklahoma State was the first team out of the field of 68, according to the committee, followed by Rutgers, North Carolina and Clemson. The Tar Heels—who were the preseason No. 1 team in the AP poll—declined to play in this year’s NIT.
Check out the full field of 32 NIT teams below.
Top Left Bracket (No. 1 seed Oklahoma State):
No. 1 Oklahoma State (18-15) vs. No. 8 Youngstown State (24-9)
No. 4 Washington State (17-16) vs. No. 5 Eastern Washington (22-10)
No. 3 North Texas (26-7) vs. No. 6 Alcorn State (18-13)
No. 2 Sam Houston (25-7) vs. No. 7 Santa Clara (23-9)
Bottom Left Bracket (No. 1 seed Oregon):
No. 1 Oregon (19-14) vs. No. 8 UC Irvine (23-11)
No. 4 Florida (16-16) vs. No. 5 UCF (18-14)
No. 3 Wisconsin (17-14) vs. No. 6 Bradley (25-9)
No. 2 Liberty (26-8) vs. No. 7 Villanova (17-16)
Top Right Bracket (No. 1 seed Rutgers)
No. 1 Rutgers (19-14) vs. No. 8 Hofstra (24-9)
No. 4 Cincinnati (21-12) vs. No. 5 Virginia Tech (19-14)
No. 3 New Mexico (22-11) vs. No. 6 Utah Valley (25-8)
No. 2 Colorado (17-16) vs. No. 7 Seton Hall (17-15)
Bottom Right Bracket (No. 1 seed Clemson)
No. 1 Clemson (23-10) vs. No. 8 Morehead State (21-11)
No. 4 UAB (25-9) vs. No. 5 Southern Miss (25-7)
No. 3 Vanderbilt (20-14) vs. No. 6 Yale (21-8)
No. 2 Michigan (17-15) vs. No. 7 Toledo (27-7)
