Auburn, the second team left out of this year’s NCAA Tournament, has accepted a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, serving as one of four No. 1 seeds for the 32-team tournament which begins on Tuesday.
New Mexico (23-10), Wake Forest (17-16) and Tulsa (26-7) are the other No. 1 seeds, joining the Tigers (17-16) in having their entire path to the NIT semifinals playing out at home should they keep winning.
The other three of the first four teams left out of the NCAA Tournament (Oklahoma, San Diego State, Indiana) declined NIT bids, along with the likes of Virginia Tech, Florida State, Belmont and Seton Hall.
Auburn opens the NIT on Tuesday against South Alabama. The second-round game will be against the winner of No. 4 seed Seattle and St. Thomas (Minn.), while No. 2 Nevada hosts Murray State and No. 3 seed George Mason hosts Liberty.
In the Albuquerque Region, New Mexico opens against Sam Houston, No. 4 seed Utah Valley hosts George Washington, second-seeded Cal will welcome in UIC and No. 3 Colorado State takes on Saint Joseph’s on Wednesday.
The Winston-Salem (N.C.) Region is helmed by Wake Forest, which hosts Navy, No. 2 seed Dayton, which opens vs. Bradley, third-seeded Yale (UNC Wilmington) and No. 4 seed Illinois State (Kent State). All of the games are Wednesday except for Tuesday’s contest between Yale and UNC Wilmington.
The final region, the Tulsa (Okla.) Region, will see the Golden Hurricanes open versus Stephen F. Austin, No. 2 seed Oklahoma State take on Davidson, No. 3 Wichita State battle Wyoming and fourth-seeded UC Irvine hosting UNLV on Tuesday.
Of the teams in this year’s field, George Washington (2016), Wichita State (2011), Dayton (2010, 1968, 1962), Tulsa (2001, 1981), Wake Forest (2000), California (1999), and Bradley (1982, 1964, 1960, 1957) are the teams which have previously won the NIT. UC Irvine lost last year’s NIT championship game to Chattanooga.
The first (March 17-18) and second-round games (March 21-22) as well as the quarterfinals (March 24-25) will be held on campus of the higher-seeded team before the semifinals (April 2) and championship (April 5) are contested in Indianapolis.
