The second round of the 2026 NIT began on Saturday with two games on the slate. The theme of those games saw the higher-seeded team taking care of business to advance to next week’s quarterfinals.
No. 2 seed Dayton defeated UNC Wilmington 80-61 to advance to the next round behind 20 points from guard De’Shayne Montgomery. The Flyers will face the winner of No. 1 seed Wake Forest and No. 4 seed Illinois State next week.
In the Auburn Region, No. 2 seed Nevada defeated Liberty 73-63 behind 15 points from Elijah Price.
Six more games will take place on Sunday, which will determine who joins Dayton and Nevada in the quarterfinals. Among the notable games going on, No. 1 seed Auburn faces No. 4 seed Seattle U. After earning the No. 1 overall seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Tigers are looking to make a run in the first year of Steven Pearl’s tenure.
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 key dates
First Round: March 17-18
Second round: March 21-22
Quarterfinals: March 24-25
Semifinals: April 2 (Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis)
Championship: April 5 (Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis)
All times Eastern
2026 NIT First Round schedule
Games in the first three rounds to be played at the higher-seeded team’s home arena
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 vs. No. 4 Seattle U | Sunday, 6:30 p.m.
No. 2 Nevada 73, Liberty 63 | Recap
Quarterfinals
No. 2 Nevada vs. TBD | TBD
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 vs. George Washington | Sunday, 8 p.m.
No. 2 Cal vs. Saint Joseph’s | Sunday, 9 p.m.
Quarterfinals
TBD vs. TBD | TBD
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. 1 Wake Forest vs. No. 4 Illinois State | Sunday, 4:30 p.m.
No. 2 Dayton 80, UNC-Wilmington 61 | Recap
Quarterfinals
No. 2 Dayton vs. TBD | TBD
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 vs. UNLV | Sunday, 7 p.m.
No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 3 Wichita State | Sunday, 8:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals
TBD vs. TBD | TBD
