NIT bracket, scores: Auburn, Illinois State advance to semifinals

Auburn and Illinois State both won quarterfinal games on Wednesday to advance to the NIT semifinals and will face each other April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Tigers and Redbirds join Tulsa and New Mexico as the final four teams in the 2026 NIT.

No. 4 seed Illinois State moved on with a 61-55 win over Dayton behind 16 points from Johnny Kinziger. Illinois State has defeated Kent State, Wake Forest and Dayton to reach the semifinals. No. 1 seed Auburn, the lone high-major team remaining in the field, defeated Nevada 75-69.

On Tuesday, No. 1 seed Tulsa advanced with an 83-79 win over Wichita State behind a standout performance from guard Tylen Riley. He finished with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists in the win over the Shockers.

No. 1 seed New Mexico moved on to the semifinals after defeating Saint Joseph’s 84-69 behind 27 points from Tomislav Bulijan.

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.

Here is a look at the full bracket.

2026 NIT schedule 

All times Eastern

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, March 24 

• No. 1 Tulsa 83, No. 3 Wichita State 79 | Recap
• No. 1 New Mexico 84, Saint Joseph’s 69 | Recap

Wednesday, March 25 

• No. 4 Illinois State 61, No. 2 Dayton 55 | Recap
• No. 1 Auburn 75, No. 2 Nevada 69 | Recap

Semifinals

Thursday, April 2 

Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis

• No. 1 Tulsa vs. No. 1 New Mexico, TBD | ESPN, fuboTV (try for free)  
• No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 4 Illinois State | ESPN, fuboTV (try for free)  

Championship

Sunday, April 5

Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis

• Semifinal winners |  8 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV (try for free)  

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