The quarterfinals of the NIT begin Tuesday with three of the tournament's top four seeds still alive
By Cameron Salerno Mar 23, 2026 at 8:00 am ET • 2 min read 
Imagn Images The second round of the 2026 NIT continued on Sunday with six games on the slate. While No. 1 seeds Auburn and New Mexico were able to take care of business to advance to the quarterfinals, fellow No. 1 seed Wake Forest wasn't so lucky.
The Demon Deacons lost to No. 4 seed Illinois State 78-75 after Johnny Kinziger knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds remaining.
Illinois State will face No. 2 seed Dayton in the quarterfinals next week.
Ice. Cold. @Redbird_MBB 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/y6AghZiAdH
— NIT (@NITMBB) March 22, 2026
Dayton defeated UNC Wilmington 80-61 on Saturday to advance behind 20 points from guard De'Shayne Montgomery.
In the Auburn Region, No. 2 seed Nevada defeated Liberty 73-63 behind 15 points from Elijah Price. No. 1 seed Auburn defeated Seattle U 91-85 after Kevin Overton scored 23 points. Nevada will face Auburn next.
Only four power conference teams are competing in the NIT this year: Auburn, Cal, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State. Multiple programs -- such as Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Belmont and San Diego State -- declined an invitation to the NIT after missing out on the NCAA Tournament. All four of those high-major teams are still in contention to win the NIT title.
Here is a look at the full bracket.
2026 NIT schedule
Games in the first three rounds to be played at the higher-seeded team's home arena. All times ET
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, March 24 — Quarterfinals
- No. 1 Tulsa vs. No. 3 Wichita State, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
- No. 1 New Mexico vs. Saint Joseph's, 9 p.m. | ESPN2
Wednesday, March 25 — Quarterfinals
- No. 2 Dayton vs. No. 4 Illinois State, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
- No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Nevada, 9 p.m. | ESPN2
Semifinals
Thursday, April 2
- Hinkle Fieldhouse, 7 p.m. | ESPN
- Hinkle Fieldhouse, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN
Championship
Sunday, April 5
- Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 8 p.m. | ESPN2
Auburn Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Auburn 78, South Alabama 67 | Recap No. 2 Nevada 89, Murray State 75 | Recap Liberty 77, No. 3 George Mason 71 | Recap No. 4 Seattle U 67, St. Thomas (MN) 52 | Recap
SECOND ROUND
No. 1 Auburn 91, No. 4 Seattle U 85 | Recap No. 2 Nevada 73, Liberty 63 | Recap
Albuquerque Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 New Mexico 107, Sam Houston 83 | Recap No. 2 Cal 91, UIC 73 | Recap No. 3 Colorado State vs. Saint Joseph's | Recap George Washington 79, No. 4 Utah Valley 78 | Recap
SECOND ROUND
No. 1 New Mexico 86, George Washington 61 | Recap Saint Joseph's 76, No. 2 Cal 75 | Recap
Winston-Salem Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Wake Forest 82, Navy 72 | Recap No. 2 Dayton 80, Bradley 66 | Recap UNCW 68, No. 3 Yale 67 | Recap No. 4 Illinois State vs. Kent State | Recap
SECOND ROUND
No. 4 Illinois State 78, No. 1 Wake Forest 75 | Recap No. 2 Dayton 80, UNC-Wilmington 61 | Recap
Tulsa Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Tulsa 89, Stephen F. Austin 84 (OT) | Recap No. 2 Oklahoma State 84, Davidson 80 | Recap No. 3 Wichita State 74, Wyoming 70 | Recap UNLV 75, No. 4 UC Irvine 72 | Recap
SECOND ROUND
No. 1 Tulsa 77, UNLV 66 | Recap No. 3 Wichita State 96, No. 2 Oklahoma State 70 | Recap
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