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Who's in NIT championship? Updated bracket, schedule NIT tournament

Who's in NIT championship? Updated bracket, schedule NIT tournament

The NIT championship game matchup is set. So, who's heading downtown to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the chance of winning a postseason title?

The first team from the original 32-team bracket to punch its ticket to the title game was No. 1 seed Tulsa , which willed its way through some second-half offensive struggles and a late push from No. 1 seed New Mexico to defeat the Lobos 74-69 in the first of two semifinal games at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday, April 2.

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The difference-maker for the Golden Hurricane proved to be Tylen Riley, who scored nine of Tulsa's final 15 points of the game.

REQUIRED READING: NIT semifinal live updates: Scores, highlights for Thursday's semifinals

The second team to punch its ticket to the title game was No. 1 seed Auburn, which put an end to No. 4 seed Illinois State's impressive run through the NIT bracket with a dominant semifinal win. Keyshawn Hall was the difference-maker for the Tigers, as he finished with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting to go along with six rebounds and three assists.

Here's an updated look at which teams have advanced to the NIT championship including updated brackets, matchups and schedules:

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Who's in NIT championship? Updated NIT bracket

Tulsa was the first team to advance to the NIT championship with a win over New Mexico. The Golden Hurricane are now looking for their third NIT crown after winning it first in 1981 and then again in 2001. Tulsa is the only one of the four remaining schools in the NIT to win the NIT.

Auburn joined Tulsa in the NIT championship game with a win over Illinois State. The Tigers, who were one of the first teams out of the Men's NCAA Tournament, are looking to make history by winning their first-ever NIT title in their first-ever NIT appearance.

Here's a look at who has moved on to the NIT championship:

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  • No. 1 Auburn

  • No. 1 Tulsa

NIT championship schedule, game times, TV info, championship location

All times Eastern

The NIT championship will be held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Sunday, April 5

NIT bracket 2026 update

Here's a look at how the 2026 NIT bracket has played out:

Auburn Region

First Round

  • No. 1 Auburn 78, South Alabama 67

  • No. 2 Nevada 89, Murray State 75

  • Liberty 77, No. 3 George Mason 71

  • No. 4 Seattle 67, St. Thomas 52

Second Round

  • No. 1 Auburn 91, No. 4 Seattle 85

  • No. 2 Nevada 73, Liberty 63

Quarterfinals

  • No. 1 Auburn 75, No. 2 Nevada 69

Albuquerque Region

First Round

  • No. 1 New Mexico 107, Sam Houston 83

  • No. 2 California 91, UIC 73

  • Saint Joseph's 69, No. 3 Colorado State 64

  • George Washington 79, No. 4 Utah Valley 78

Second Round

  • No. 1 New Mexico 86, George Washington 61

  • Saint Joseph's 76, No. 2 Cal 75

Quarterfinals

  • No. 1 New Mexico 84, Saint Joseph's 69

Winston-Salem Region

First Round

  • No. 1 Wake Forest 82, Navy 72

  • No. 2 Dayton 80, Bradley 66

  • UNC-Wilmington 68, No. 3 Yale 67

  • No. 4 Illinois State 79, Kent State 58

Second Round

  • No. 4 Illinois State 78, No. 1 Wake Forest 75

  • No. 2 Dayton 80, UNCW 61

Quarterfinals

  • No. 4 Illinois State 61, No. 2 Dayton 55

Tulsa Region

First Round

  • No. 1 Tulsa 89, Stephen F. Austin 84 (OT)

  • No. 2 Oklahoma State 84, Davidson 80

  • No. 3 Wichita State 74, Wyoming 70

  • UNLV 75, No. 4 UC Irvine 72

Second Round

  • No. 1 Tulsa 77, UNLV 66

  • No. 3 Wichita State 96, No. 2 Oklahoma State 70

Quarterfinals

  • No. 1 Tulsa 83, No. 3 Wichita State 79

NIT semifinals

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See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities

Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NIT championship teams: NIT bracket, schedule updated

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