ESPN will provide the most coverage ever of the 2011 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) with all 16 first-round games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3.com in addition to extensive second-round action, all quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship. Coverage will begin with nine first-round games Tuesday, March 15, and seven first-round matchups Wednesday, March 16. All games will be available on ESPN3.com – six exclusively – throughout ESPN’s coverage. Also, all games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will be simulcast to ESPNnetworks.com.
The 32-team field includes schools representing 23 conferences highlighted by three Atlantic Coast Conference teams in Boston College, Miami (FL) and Virginia Tech, and three Big 12 teams in Colorado, Nebraska and Oklahoma State. Four schools will make their first appearance in the tournament, Bethune-Cookman, Florida Atlantic, Harvard and Texas Southern. Five schools in the tournament have claimed the NIT Championship previously: California (1999), Colorado (1940), Dayton (1962, 1968 & 2010), Nebraska (1996) and Virginia Tech (1973 & 1995).
Dayton and College of Charleston tip off tripleheader action Tuesday on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD with Coastal Carolina visiting Alabama on ESPNU/ ESPNU HD, and an ESPN3.com exclusive with Vermont at Cleveland, all at 7 p.m. ET. Six more games get going that night including Harvard at Oklahoma State on ESPN / ESPN HD at 7:30 p.m. and UTEP at New Mexico at 9 p.m. on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD.
Coverage of second-round games begins Friday, March 18 and the quarterfinals, Tuesday, March 22. ESPN2 will televise the semifinals and championship live from Madison Square Garden beginning Tuesday, March 29, with the NIT champion crowned Thursday, March 31.
On Sunday, March 13, ESPNU’s NIT Selection Show presented the live announcement of the NIT field, which features 32 teams. This is the sixth year in which all Division I conference regular-season champions that will not be in the NCAA Tournament are guaranteed an NIT bid. The NIT, founded in 1938, is the nation’s oldest postseason college basketball tournament.
| 2011 NIT Schedule (times subject to change) | ||
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup |
| Tue, Mar 15 | 7 p.m. | NIT First Round: Dayton at College of Charleston |
| Brad Nessler & Jimmy Dykes | ||
| 7 p.m. | NIT First Round: Coastal Carolina at Alabama | |
| Carter Blackburn & LaPhonso Ellis | ||
| 7 p.m. | NIT First Round: Vermont at Cleveland State | |
| Jim Barbar & Mark Adams | ||
| 7:30 p.m. | NIT First Round: Harvard at Oklahoma State | |
| Mark Jones & Fran Fraschilla | ||
| 8 p.m. | NIT First Round: Murray State at Missouri State | |
| Justin Kutcher & Dickey Simpkins | ||
| 9 p.m. | NIT First Round: UTEP at New Mexico | |
| Bob Wischusen & Stephen Bardo | ||
| 9 p.m. | NIT First Round: Boston College at McNeese State | |
| Mitch Holthus & Reid Gettys | ||
| 9 p.m. | NIT First Round: Fairfield at Colorado State | |
| Dave Armstrong & Bill Herenda | ||
| 11 p.m. | NIT First Round: Kent State at St. Mary’s | |
| Dave Flemming & Sean Farnham | ||
| Wed, Mar 16 | 7 p.m. | NIT First Round: Nebraska at Wichita State |
| Mike Patrick & Dan Dakich | ||
| 7:30 p.m. | NIT First Round: Florida Atlantic at Miami (Fla.) | |
| Dan McLaughlin & Dereck Whittenburg | ||
| 8 p.m. | NIT First Round: Bethune-Cookman at Virginia Tech | |
| Beth Mowins & Bob Valvano | ||
| 8 p.m. | NIT First Round: Milwaukee at Northwestern | |
| Mike Gleason & Mike Kelley | ||
| 9 p.m. | NIT First Round: Texas Southern at Colorado | |
| Dave Armstrong & Bill Herenda | ||
| 9 p.m. | NIT First Round: Mississippi at California | |
| John Saunders & Miles Simon | ||
| 10 p.m. | NIT First Round: Long Beach State at Washington State | |
| Clay Matvick & Sean Farnham | ||
| Fri, Mar 18 | 9:30 p.m. | NIT Second Round: TBD |
| Sat, Mar 19 | 11 a.m. | NIT Second Round: TBD |
| 2 p.m. | NIT Second Round: TBD | |
| Sun, Mar 20 | 11 a.m. | NIT Second Round: TBD |
| Mon, Mar 21 | 7 p.m. | NIT Second Round: TBD |
| 8 p.m. | NIT Second Round: TBD | |
| 9 p.m. | NIT Second Round: TBD | |
| 11:30 p.m. | NIT Second Round: TBD | |
| Tues, Mar 22 | 7 p.m. | NIT Quarterfinal: TBD |
| 9 p.m. | NIT Quarterfinal: TBD | |
| Wed, Mar 23 | 7 p.m. | NIT Quarterfinal: TBD |
| 9 p.m. | NIT Quarterfinal: TBD | |
| Tues, Mar 29 | 7 p.m. | NIT Semifinal: TBD |
| 9:30 p.m. | NIT Semifinal: TBD | |
| Thurs, Mar 31 | 7 p.m. | NIT Championship: TBD |
| Schedule subject to change | ||
