South Alabama named first team in 88th National Invitation Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS – Ahead of the 88th National Invitation Tournament, South Alabama has been named as the field’s first team.

The automatic berth for South Alabama is based on a prior agreement made between the NIT Board of Managers and the university following the 2025 selection process that resulted in the Jaguars not being included in the NIT field.

The agreement included minimum requirements for South Alabama’s regular season results. The Jaguars surpassed the requirements with ease, finishing with a 21-10 regular season record. At 11-7 in Sun Belt Conference play, South Alabama tied for second in the league.

Regular season champions that do not make the NCAA Tournament either as an automatic qualifier or as an at-large team automatically get a bid to the NIT if they have an average ranking of 125 or better across the seven metrics that appear on team sheets.

A full overview of selection principles and procedures is available here. 

The NIT semifinals and finals will take place in Indianapolis as part of a five-day celebration of basketball during which the NIT and NCAA Divisions I, II and III champions will be crowned. The semifinals will be played April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on ESPN. The championship game on April 5 will tip at approximately 8 p.m. on ESPN2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse following the conclusion of the Division II and III national championship games. The Men’s Final Four will be on TBS and takes place Saturday, April 4 and Monday, April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium. For tickets, visit www.ncaa.com/mbbtickets.