Auburn won the 2026 men’s NIT, beating Tulsa 92-86 in overtime on April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. No NIT odds for 2027 are posted yet, and ncaa.com lists the 2027 bracket as still to be released.
The next field comes together after Selection Sunday on March 14, 2027. That is the day the NCAA tournament bracket is revealed, and the first year it grows to 76 teams, up from 68.
How Auburn won the 2026 NIT
Auburn led 48-31 at halftime of the final and still needed overtime. Tulsa scored 47 points in the second half to tie the game 78-78, then Auburn outscored the Golden Hurricane 14-8 in the extra period. Kevin Overton of Auburn was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
Both semifinals were played on April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, also in Indianapolis. Tulsa beat New Mexico 74-69, and Auburn beat Illinois State 88-66.
The loss was Tulsa’s first in an NIT final. The Golden Hurricane had won both of its earlier ones, beating Syracuse 86-84 in 1981 and Alabama 79-66 in 2001.
What the NIT is
The National Invitation Tournament was first played in 1938, when Temple beat Colorado 60-36 in the final. It is the postseason tournament for teams that are not in the NCAA field.
The last three finals were all in Indianapolis, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in 2024 and 2025 and at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in 2026. The 2022 final was at Madison Square Garden in New York, and the 2023 final at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
St. John’s has the most NIT titles, with five on the list kept by ncaa.com, and Bradley is next with four. A sixth St. John’s title, from 2003, was vacated.
Recent NIT champions
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Most outstanding player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Auburn | 92-86 (OT) | Tulsa | Kevin Overton |
| 2025 | Chattanooga | 85-84 (OT) | UC Irvine | Trey Bonham |
| 2024 | Seton Hall | 79-77 | Indiana State | Al-Amir Dawes |
| 2023 | North Texas | 68-61 | UAB | Tylor Perry |
| 2022 | Xavier | 73-72 | Texas A&M | Colby Jones |
| 2021 | Memphis | 77-64 | Mississippi State | Landers Nolley II |
| 2019 | Texas | 81-66 | Lipscomb | Kerwin Roach |
| 2018 | Penn State | 82-66 | Utah | Lamar Stevens |
| 2017 | TCU | 88-56 | Georgia Tech | Kenrich Williams |
| 2016 | George Washington | 76-60 | Valparaiso | Tyler Cavanaugh |
The 2020 tournament was canceled. Each of the last five finals was decided by seven points or fewer, and the last two went to overtime.
Ten tournaments produced ten different champions. None of the champions from 2021 to 2025 has been back in an NIT final since, and Chattanooga’s win over UC Irvine in 2025 came by a single point.
NIT odds for 2027
No price on the 2027 NIT is quoted here. The field cannot be set until after March 14, 2027, and ncaa.com lists the tournament’s ticket details and host sites as still to come.
When a board goes up, read each price as a chance. A team at +325 is priced at 23.5%, and one at +800 at 11.1%. A futures bet on the NIT is worth making only when you rate a team’s chance higher than the price does.
Through the season, game-by-game calls are on the college basketball predictions hub, and the title race is on the college basketball championship odds page. Compare books on the sportsbook reviews page, and read our handicapper site reviews before paying for picks.