The NIT and Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament will reduce their fields from 32 teams to 24 beginning in 2027, the NCAA announced.
The adjustment comes after the NCAA tournaments expanded to 76 teams starting this season, reshaping the postseason landscape across men’s and women’s college basketball.
Both the NIT and WBIT have served as postseason opportunities for programs that do not make the NCAA tournament field. With the primary NCAA brackets increasing in size, the secondary postseason events will now operate with smaller fields beginning in 2027.
The NCAA’s announcement sets a clear timeline for the format change, with the current 32-team structure remaining in place until the reduction takes effect.