As March approaches, the excitement of college basketball builds as teams across the country fight for a coveted spot in the postseason spotlight. While every squad hopes to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament, there has always been the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) for those who miss the cut. However, this year signals a shift in the college hoops postseason landscape. A new rival tournament is set to enter the scene, challenging the NIT and giving more opportunities for bubble teams to compete on national television.
In April 2024, FOX Sports and AEG announced the “College Basketball Crown”, a new postseason tournament for programs that just missed March Madness. Set to debut in Las Vegas this March, the tournament will feature 16 of the best teams not in the NCAA tournament. People immediately pointed out the similarities to the NIT in its “best of the rest” format. The introduction of a new tournament raises questions about the future of the NIT, how this affects smaller programs and the fight for broadcasting dominance in college hoops.
FOX has secured agreements with the Big East, Big Ten and Big 12, ensuring the top two remaining schools from each conference spots in the College Basketball Crown. The last 10 spots will consist of at-large bids from all conferences. Even before the College Basketball Crown debuted, a clear rivalry emerged between FOX’s new tournament and ESPN’s longstanding partnership with the 85-year-old NIT.
As early as 2023, directors of the NIT expressed concerns about the possibility of a new rival tournament emerging. On top of this was speculation that the NCAA tournament may expand to include more at-large bids, reducing the number of power conference teams in the NIT. The prospect of fewer big-name programs in their event would diminish the NIT’s prestige and viewership, forcing them to take action.
The NIT made a controversial decision last November, removing auto bids for all regular season conference champions. Instead, the first 12 spots now only go to the top two teams from each of the Power Five conferences. Mid-major programs pointed out that this move was a direct threat to their chances of participating in the NIT. Directors of the tournament even acknowledged that the decision was intended to benefit bigger name programs to position the tournament to compete in a changing postseason environment.
However, with FOX now holding agreements with three of the power conferences, the NIT once again revised its format so that just the ACC and SEC are guaranteed bids. Additionally, a participant from each of the top 12 conferences is now guaranteed a spot. These changes make the NIT more accessible to smaller schools. However, it also shows that the tourney is no longer as dominant as it once was, with the new College Basketball Crown taking many of its high-profile participants.
For mid-major programs, the full impact of all these changes is uncertain. At least seven smaller conferences will be guaranteed to take part in the NIT, but the real question is how the at-large spots look across both the tournaments. Will committees prioritize power five teams with below .500 records, or high-performing mid-majors? Additionally, it is unclear how balanced the two tournaments will end up. Programs may be attracted to the new College Basketball Crown and its enticing Las Vegas setting or rather prefer the longstanding tradition of the NIT. Whether larger name schools will gravitate towards one tournament over the other will become clearer as March approaches.
The introduction of the College Basketball Crown presents both new opportunities and challenges in college basketball. As this tournament and the NIT seek to establish their roles in the postseason going forward, the impact on broadcasting dynamics and the competitive landscape for mid-major schools will depend on the success of the College Basketball Crown’s inaugural season.