Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsSunday, June 21, 2026

NIT bracket 2016: Monmouth and South Carolina in field, but no Ben Simmons

The country’s other college basketball tournament has filled out its 32-team field.

The complete field for this year's National Invitation Tournament is set, ahead of the NIT's March 15 tipoff. The tournament's full bracket is right here, headlined by No. 1 seeds Monmouth, St. Bonaventure, South Carolina and Valparaiso. It's also notable for what it doesn't include, as LSU and five-star freshman Ben Simmons will not participate.

Here’s the bracket, in four quadrants:

NIT bracket quadrants
NIT bracket quadrants
NIT bracket quadrants
NIT bracket quadrants

The NIT bracket is populated by teams that won their regular season conference titles but failed to lift their conference championship trophies and fell short of a NCAA Tournament at-large bid. This season, 18 clubs met those criteria, including Hofstra, Valpo, Bucknell and Akron. The rest of the teams in the NIT are picked at-large, and some teams, like LSU, decide not to participate in tournaments other than the Big Dance.

The NIT field comprises 32 teams distributed into four regions of eight teams each. The host sites for all tournament games except the semifinals and championship game are at the higher-seeded team’s campus arenas. The semis and finals go down in Madison Square Garden on March 29 and 31, respectively.

NBA
Caleb Wilson is chasing greatness in the NBA Draft, and he’s ready to save your franchiseCaleb Wilson is chasing greatness in the NBA Draft, and he’s ready to save your franchise
NBA

Inside the making of Caleb Wilson, the NBA Draft’s ultimate upside swing

By Ricky O'Donnell
Men's College Basketball
College basketball top-25 rankings for men’s 2026-27 season updated after NBA Draft withdrawalsCollege basketball top-25 rankings for men’s 2026-27 season updated after NBA Draft withdrawals
Men's College Basketball

Here’s our updated men’s college basketball top-25 for next season.

By Mike Rutherford
Men's College Basketball
St. John’s massive NIL payment revealed after Tounde Yessoufou chooses transfer portal over NBA DraftSt. John’s massive NIL payment revealed after Tounde Yessoufou chooses transfer portal over NBA Draft
Men's College Basketball

The money in men’s college basketball is stunning right now.

By Ricky O'Donnell
NBA
NBA Draft college withdrawal deadline winners and losers after 2026’s biggest decisionsNBA Draft college withdrawal deadline winners and losers after 2026’s biggest decisions
NBA

Here are the biggest winners and losers from the 2026 NBA Draft college withdrawal deadline.

By Ricky O'Donnell
Men's College Basketball
The 10 biggest NBA Draft stay or go decisions remaining before the deadlineThe 10 biggest NBA Draft stay or go decisions remaining before the deadline
College Football
NAACP urges black athletes to reject recruiting in racially gerrymandered statesNAACP urges black athletes to reject recruiting in racially gerrymandered states
College Football

The NAACP is asking athletes to take up the fight for voting rights.

By James Dator