Indianapolis Announces New Rules for the 2025 NIT

In Indianapolis, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Board of Managers has rolled out new qualification procedures for the upcoming 2025 NIT. The changes aim to offer a fairer selection process for teams vying for a spot in the tournament.

Starting in 2025, there will be 16 exempt teams that automatically qualify for the tournament. Among these exempt teams, the top two teams from both the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) who do not receive a selection to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will secure their spot. Additionally, the number one team not chosen from the top 12 conferences, based on the Ken Pomeroy Rating, will also receive an exempt bid.

The selection of these exempt teams will rely on multiple rating systems, which include the ESPN Basketball Power Index (BPI), NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), and others that assess overall team performance. This new structure guarantees that eligible teams will have the first-round game hosted at their home courts.

Furthermore, for a regular-season conference champion to receive an automatic bid, they must average 125 or better across various ranking systems. The remaining 32 places in the tournament will be filled through at-large selections made by the NIT Committee.

Alongside this news, the NIT Board has welcomed former head coaches Tubby Smith and Jeff Jones into the NIT Committee. Smith holds an impressive winning record and has made numerous tournament appearances, while Jones has a solid coaching history, including leading a team to the NIT Championship.

The board also introduced an experimental rule allowing coaches to contest out-of-bounds calls in the final two minutes of games. This adjustment requires coaches to use one of their timeouts for an appeal, adding a strategic layer to the closing moments of a game.

The complete tournament pairings will be unveiled on March 16, 2025, followed by first-round games starting on March 18. The semi-finals and championship are set to take place at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, with the championship game scheduled for April 3, 2025. Fans can catch all the action live on ESPN platforms.