The 2026 NIT began Tuesday from various home sites across the country, and the theme of the first round was upsets. Liberty eliminated No. 3 seed George Mason 77-71 behind 23 points from Josh Smith. Liberty will face the winner of No. 2 seed Nevada and Murray State in the second round this weekend.
And the shocking results didn’t stop there. UNC-Wilmington defeated No. 3 seed Yale 68-67 on the road and will face No. 2 seed Dayton or Bradley in the second round. No. 1 seed Auburn trailed at halftime by six to South Alabama at home. However, the Tigers flipped the switch in the second half and avoided an upset scare with a 78-67 win over the Jaguars.
Auburn will face No. 4 seed Seattle U next.
The first round continues on Wednesday with eight more first-round matchups. One of the games to keep an eye on is No. 1 seed New Mexico facing Sam Houston. No. 1 seed Wake Forest will also be in action when it faces Navy at home.
Only four power conference teams are competing in the NIT this year: Auburn, Cal, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State. Multiple programs — such as Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Belmont and San Diego State declined an invitation to the NIT after missing out on the NCAA Tournament.
Here is a look at the full bracket.
2026 NIT key dates
First Round: March 17-18
Second round: March 21-22
Quarterfinals: March 24-25
Semifinals: April 2 (Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis)
Championship: April 5 (Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis)
All times Eastern
2026 NIT First Round schedule
Games in the first three rounds to be played at the higher-seeded team’s home arena
Auburn Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Auburn 78, South Alabama 67 | Recap
No. 2 Nevada vs. Murray State | Wednesday, 10 p.m.
Liberty 77, No. 3 George Mason 71 | Recap
No. 4 Seattle U 67, St. Thomas (MN) 52 | Recap
SECOND ROUND
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 4 Seattle U
TBD vs. Liberty
Albuquerque Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 New Mexico vs. Sam Houston | Wednesday, 9 p.m.
No. 2 Cal vs. UIC | Wednesday, 11 p.m.
No. 3 Colorado State vs. Saint Joseph’s | Wednesday, 11 p.m.
No. 4 Utah Valley vs. George Washington | Wednesday, 8 p.m
SECOND ROUND
TBD vs. TBD
TBD vs. TBD
Winston-Salem Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Wake Forest vs. Navy | Wednesday, 7 p.m.
No. 2 Dayton vs. Bradley | Wednesday, 9 p.m.
UNCW 68, No. 3 Yale 67 | Recap
No. 4 Illinois State vs. Kent State | Wednesday, 8 p.m
SECOND ROUND
TBD vs. TBD
TBD vs. UNC-Wilmington
Tulsa Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Tulsa 89, Stephen F. Austin 84 (OT) | Recap
No. 2 Oklahoma State 84, Davidson 80 | Recap
No. 3 Wichita State 74, Wyoming 70 | Recap
No. 4 UC Irvine vs. UNLV | Tuesday, 11 p.m
SECOND ROUND
No. 1 Tulsa vs. TBD
No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 3 Wichita State
