Is There an NIT This Year? Yes, And Here Are The Vast Differences in 2021

The annual NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket was announced Sunday night, and the field of 68 teams tip off the annual March madness on Thursday night. This marks an incredible comeback from last year, when all basketball tournaments got canceled for the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Now that the NCAA bracket is set, it posed the question for many of, will there be a National Invitational Tournament (NIT) this year for the teams that just missed out on the NCAA tournament?

The answer is yes. However, things will be wildly different in 2021 than they have been in the past.

First, there are just 16 teams this year, which is half the usual NIT field of 32 teams.

Second, there will be no home-court advantages in the first few rounds. All games will be played in Texas at either UNT Coliseum in Denton or the Comerica Center in Frisco.

Third, Madison Square Garden will not host the NIT's final four. That will be held in Frisco, Texas, where several fans could be expected under the state's relaxation of the mask mandate.

Maybe the biggest surprise is that Duke and Kentucky, who both missed the NCAA tournament, are not part of the NIT field.

The NIT brackets were announced Sunday night shortly after the NCAA tournament was revealed. Here are the seeds and matchups—and dates, sites and TV assignment—for each of them.

(All times Eastern ET)

Region I
No. 1 Colorado State (18-6) vs No. 4 Buffalo (16-8)
Friday, March 19 • 7 p.m.
UNT Coliseum • Denton TX
ESPN2

No. 2 Davidson (13-8) vs No. 3 NC State (13-10)
Thursday, March 18 • 7 p.m.
UNT Coliseum • Denton TX
ESPN

Region II
No. 1 Memphis (16-7) vs No. 4 Dayton (14-9)
Saturday, March 20 • Noon
UNT Coliseum • Denton TX
ESPN

No. 2 Boise State (18-8) vs No. 3 SMU (11-5)
Thursday, March 18 • 9 p.m.
Comerica Center • Frisco, TX
ESPN

Region III
No. 1 Saint Louis (14-6) vs No. 4 Mississippi State (15-14)
Saturday, March 20 • 5 p.m.
Comerica Center • Frisco, TX
ESPN

No. 2 Richmond (13-8) vs No. 3 Toledo (21-8)
Wednesday, March 17 • 7 p.m.
UNT Coliseum • Denton TX
ESPN2

Region IV
No. 1 Ole Miss (16-11) vs No. 4 Louisiana Tech (21-7)
Friday, March 19 • 9 p.m.
Comerica Center • Frisco, TX
ESPN2

No. 2 Saint Mary's (CA) vs No. 3 Western Kentucky (20-7)
Wednesday, March 17 • 9 p.m.
Comerica Center • Frisco, TX
ESPN2

The second round (quarterfinals) will all be played on Friday, March 26 at sites and times to be determined. The NIT semifinals will be played on March 27. One semifinal will be at noon and the other at 3 p.m. Both will be played at the Comerica Center, and both will be on ESPN.

The NIT championship will be on Sunday, March 28, at noon at the Comerica Center, and the third-place game will be at 3 p.m. at the same venue. Those games will also be shown on ESPN.