The National Invitation Tournament, or NIT, is an annual postseason knockout tournament featuring 32 Division I basketball teams. The NCAA has held the men's tournament since 1938. Temple defeated Colorado 60-36 in the inaugural NIT championship game on March 16, 1938. St. John's has won the most NIT titles, with five.
The NIT is now considered a postseason consolation tournament for teams that didn't receive bids to the NCAA tournament, but that wasn't always the case. It was once the most prestigious postseason showcase in college basketball, before its status was superseded by the NCAA tournament in the mid-1950s.
An independent postseason women's NIT (WNIT) has been held since 1998.
Here is a look at the champions of the men's and women's NIT postseason tournaments.
2026: Auburn (M), Marshall (W)
2025: Chattanooga (M), Buffalo (W)
2024: Seton Hall (M), Saint Louis (W)
2023: North Texas (M), Kansas (W)
2022: Xavier (M), South Dakota State (W)
2021: Memphis (M), Rice (W)
2020: Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2019: Texas (M), Arizona (W)
2018: Penn State (M), Indiana (W)
2017: TCU (M), Michigan (W)
2016: George Washington (M), South Dakota (W)
2015: Stanford (M), UCLA (W)
2014: Minnesota (M), Rutgers (W)
2013: Baylor (M), Drexel (W)
2012: Stanford (M), Oklahoma State (W)
2011: Wichita State (M), Toledo (W)
2010: Dayton (M), California (W)
2009: Penn State (M), South Florida (W)
2008: Ohio State (M), Marquette (W)
2007: West Virginia (M), Wyoming (W)
2006: South Carolina (M), Kansas State (W)
2005: South Carolina (M), Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) (W)
2004: Michigan (M), Creighton (W)
2003: St. John's* (M), Auburn (W)
2002: Memphis (M), Oregon (W)
2001: Tulsa (M), Ohio State (W)
2000: Wake Forest (M), Wisconsin (W)
1999: California (M), Arkansas (W)
1998: Minnesota* (M), Penn State (W)
1997: Michigan* (M)
1996: Nebraska (M)
1995: Virginia Tech (M)
1994: Villanova (M)
1993: Minnesota (M)
1992: Virginia (M)
1991: Stanford (M)
1990: Vanderbilt (M)
1989: St. John's (M)
1988: UConn (M)
1987: Southern Miss (M)
1986: Ohio State (M)
1985: UCLA (M)
1984: Michigan (M)
1983: Fresno State (M)
1982: Bradley (M)
1981: Tulsa (M)
1980: Virginia (M)
1979: Indiana (M)
1978: Texas (M)
1977: St. Bonaventure (M)
1976: Kentucky (M)
1975: Princeton (M)
1974: Purdue (M)
1973: Virginia Tech (M)
1972: Maryland (M)
1971: North Carolina (M)
1970: Marquette (M)
1969: Temple (M)
1968: Dayton (M)
1967: Southern Illinois (M)
1966: BYU (M)
1965: St. John's (M)
1964: Bradley (M)
1963: Providence (M)
1962: Dayton (M)
1961: Providence (M)
1960: Bradley (M)
1959: St. John's (M)
1958: Xavier (M)
1957: Bradley (M)
1956: Louisville (M)
1955: Duquesne (M)
1954: Holy Cross (M)
1953: Seton Hall (M)
1952: La Salle (M)
1951: BYU (M)
1950: City College NY (M)
1949: San Francisco (M)
1948: Saint Louis (M)
1947: Utah (M)
1946: Kentucky (M)
1945: DePaul (M)
1944: St. John's (M)
1943: St. John's (M)
1942: West Virginia (M)
1941: Long Island (M)
1940: Colorado (M)
1939: Long Island (M)
1938: Temple (M)
*Vacated
Check out the ESPN men's college basketball hub page and ESPN women's college basketball hub page for more interesting facts and stats.
