NIT, WBIT Reveal Bracket Format, Selection Process Changes After NCAA Tournament Expansion

The NIT and WBIT tournaments are undergoing changes on the heels of the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments expanding from 68 to 76 teams.

The NCAA announced Thursday that the NIT and WBIT fields will both shrink from 32 teams to 24 teams each, starting in 2027.

Both the NIT and WBIT will award the No. 1 seeds in their tournaments to the schools designated as the "First Four Out" of the men's and women's NCAA tournaments as well.

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The NIT's selection process will see each of the top 10 conferences based on Ken Pomeroy's rankings receive an exempt bid into the tourney, plus an extra exempt bid to both the ACC and SEC.

Bids will also be awarded to regular-season conference champions that did not qualify for the NCAA tournament, provided they are ranked 125th or better when using the average of the ESPN Basketball Power Index, Ken Pomeroy Rating, Kevin Pauga Index, NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), Strength of Record, Torvik and Wins Above Bubble (WAB) rankings.

There will be eight first-round games in the NIT with the winners of those games moving on to face the top eight seeds in the second round.

The better-seeded team will host each game at their home venue until the NIT Finals, which will be played at the University of Detroit Mercy on April 4, 2027.

As for the WBIT, teams must have a record of .500 or better to have a chance at an at-large bid, and teams with an average ranking of 100 or better in WAB and NET will be considered.

Teams that won their regular-season conference championship and have an average WAB and NET ranking of 110 or better will receive automatic entry into the WBIT.

The WBIT will have the same format as the NIT with the winners of the eight first-round games facing the eight top seeds in the second round

However, both the semifinals and finals will be held at a central location with Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas, hosting the semis on March 29, 2027, and the finals on March 31, 2027.