While the NCAA Tournament is the most publicized, it isn’t the only postseason men’s basketball tournament. The National Invitation Tournament has been held every year since 1938, except in 2020 when it was canceled due to COVID-19. Typically, the semifinals and finals of the NIT have been held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but over the past few years, there have been some changes.
NIT 2024: Why is the tournament not at Madison Square Garden?
After the NIT was canceled in 2020, the NCAA decided to use a bubble method for teams in 2021. The bubbles were formed in Denton and Frisco, Texas, but the NIT returned to MSG in 2022. The NCAA announced that the NIT would move away from New York again in 2023 and 2024 after a mutual decision was agreed upon between the NCAA and MSG.
Better-seeded schools will continue hosting their opponents up to the semifinals and finals. In 2023, the final two rounds of the NIT were held at the Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada. They will be held at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana this year. The NCAA could continue moving the NIT semifinals and finals around to various college campuses, or they could look for a new permanent fixture to replace MSG.
The 2024 NIT matchups will begin on Tuesday, March 19 and run through the championship on April 4.