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The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City each March and April, it was founded in 1938 and was originally the most prestigious post-season showcase for college basketball. Over time it became eclipsed by the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

Founding

The post-season National Invitation Tournament was founded in 1938 by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, one year after the NAIA Tournament was created by basketball's inventor Dr. James Naismith, and one year before the NCAA Tournament. The first NIT was won by the Temple University Owls over the Colorado Buffaloes.

Responsibility for the NIT's administration was transferred in 1940 to the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Committee, a body of local New York colleges: Fordham University, Manhattan College, New York University, St. John's University, and Wagner College. This became the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association (MIBA) in 1948.

Originally the tournament invited a field of 6 teams, with all games played at Madison Square Garden in downtown Manhattan.

The field was expanded to 8 teams in 1941, 12 in 1949, 14 in 1965, 16 in 1968, 24 in 1979, 32 in 1980, and 40 from 2002 through 2006. In 2007, the tournament reverted to the current 32-team format.

Early advantages over the NCAA Tournament

In its early years, the NIT offered some advantages over the NCAA tournament:

• There was limited national media coverage of college basketball in the 1930s and '40s, and playing in New York City provided teams greater media exposure, both with the general public and among high school prospects in its rich recruiting territory.

• The NCAA tournament selection committee invited only one team each from eight national regions, potentially leaving better quality selections and natural rivals out of its field, which would opt for the NIT.

• Some conferences, such as the Southeastern Conference, were racially segregated, making hosting non-segregated early round games on their campuses problematic.

Preeminence

From its onset and at least into the mid-1950s, the NIT was regarded as the most prestigious showcase for college basketball. Several teams played in both the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same year, beginning with Colorado and Duquesne in 1940. The champions of both the NCAA and NIT tournaments played each other for a few years during World War II.

Decline

As the NCAA over time expanded its field to include more teams, the reputation of the NIT suffered. In 1973, NBC moved televised coverage of the NCAA championship from Saturday afternoon to Monday evening, providing the NCAA Tournament with prime-time television exposure the NIT could not match. Even more crucially, when the NCAA eliminated the one-team-per-conference rule in 1975 its requirement that teams accept its bids relegated the NIT to a collection of teams that did not make the NCAA grade.

Compounding this, to cut costs the NIT moved its early rounds out of Madison Square Garden in 1977, playing games at home sites until the later rounds. This further harmed the NIT's prestige, both regionalizing interest in it and marginalizing it by reducing its association with Madison Square Garden. By the mid-1980s, its transition to a secondary tournament for lesser teams was complete.

In 2011 the NCAA and ESPN agreed to a $500 million agreement through 2023–24 for rights to cover championships in several sports, including the NIT. This compares with the 11-year, $6.2 billion TV contract with CBS for the NCAA tournament.

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was created in 1939 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and was the idea of Ohio State University coach Harold Olsen. Played mostly during March, it has become one of the most famous annual sporting events in the United States.

Expansion of the Tournament Field

• 1939–1950: 8 teams
• 1951–1952: 16 teams
• 1953–1974: varied between 22 and 25 teams
• 1975–1978: 32 teams
• 1979: 40 teams
• 1980–1982: 48 teams
• 1983: 52 teams (four play-in games before the tournament)
• 1984: 53 teams (five play-in games before the tournament)
• 1985–2000: 64 teams
• 2001–2010: 65 teams (one play-in game to determine whether the 64th or 65th team plays in the first round)
• 2011–present: 68 teams (four play-in games before all remaining teams compete in the round of 64; from 2011 to 2015, the round of 64 was deemed to be the second round; beginning in 2016, the round of 64 is again deemed to be the first round)

After the conclusion of the 2010 tournament, there was much speculation about increasing the tournament size to as many as 128 teams. On April 1, 2010, the NCAA announced that it was looking at expanding to 96 teams for 2011. On April 22, 2010, the NCAA announced a new television contract with CBS/Turner that would expand the field, but only to 68 teams.

The CCNY point shaving scandal of 1950–51 was a college basketball point shaving gambling scandal that involved seven schools in all, with four in Greater New York and three in the Midwest. However, most of the key players in the scandal were players of the 1949–50 CCNY Beavers men's basketball team.

Background

The scandal involved the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Invitation Tournament (NIT) champion City College of New York (CCNY). CCNY had won the 1950 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and the 1950 National Invitation Tournament over Bradley University. The scandal involved the Beavers and at least six other schools, including three others in the New York City area: New York University, Long Island University and Manhattan College. It spread out of New York City to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois; the University of Kentucky and the University of Toledo. The scandal would spread to 33 players and involve the world of organized crime. CCNY was eventually banned from playing at Madison Square Garden, although the coach, Nat Holman, would be cleared of any wrongdoing.

How the scandal first came to light

Junius Kellogg, a standout 6'8" Manhattan College center, was offered a $1,000 bribe to shave points before a game against DePaul. Although he was working for minimum wage at a frozen custard shop near campus, he refused to take the money and reported the solicitation to his coach, Kenny Norton. Norton sent him to the District Attorney. To get evidence about the corruption, he wore a wire when he was again approached in a nearby bar.

The scandal first became public when New York City District Attorney Frank Hogan arrested seven men on charges of conspiring to fix games on February 18, 1951. Those taken into custody included All-America forward Ed Warner, center Ed Roman, and guard Al Roth, the three stars of CCNY's five that won both the NIT and NCAA tournaments, still the only such double in history. The police had set up an undercover, or "sting", operation. The arrests were made in Penn Station when the players returned to New York from Philadelphia, after CCNY had defeated Temple, 95-71.

In all, 32 players from seven colleges admitted to taking bribes between 1947 and 1950 to fix 86 games in 17 states. Jack Molinas would not be caught in 1951, but after he was suspended for gambling by the NBA, he would be linked back to the 1951 scandal by betting on his then college team, Columbia University.

16. St. John’s
21. Villanova
24. Marquette
26. DePaul
42. Georgetown
59. Xavier
76. Seton Hall
78. Providence
86. Creighton
98. Butler

The Top 40 Programs of Each Decade

The 1940's:
6. DePaul
21. St. John’s

The 1950's:
29. St. John’s
34. Xavier
37. DePaul

The 1960's:
10. Villanova
17. St. John’s
19. Providence

The 1970's:
3. Marquette
23. St. John’s
31. Providence

The 1980's:
2. Georgetown
15. DePaul
18. St. John’s
23. Villanova

The 1990's:
20. Georgetown
31. Villanova
32. St. John’s
38. Xavier
39. Providence

2000-2009:
24. Xavier
25.. Villanova
29. Georgetown
32. Marquette
39. Butler

Final AP Polls by Year: 1949 to 2017 (click on Seasons in the top-right, and then select the Year in the dialog box)

Total Appearances in the AP Final Poll: 1949 to 2017

Wikipedia – NIT article wrote:
From its onset and at least into the mid-1950s, the NIT was regarded as the most prestigious showcase for college basketball.

Until the 1950's, the NIT was considered a more prestigious tournament than the NCAA, and teams often chose to enter the NIT and bypass the NCAA tourney.

While the NIT conducted its entire tournament at Madison Square Garden, only the two regional champions made it to the NCAA championship site, which, from 1943–48, was also the Garden.

The Final Two changed somewhat in 1946 when both regional runners-up were invited to the championship site, but they could only play for third place. The Final Four was really born in 1952 when the NCAAs expanded to four regional sites and the four winners advanced to Seattle to play for the title.

By the time San Francisco, with Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, was putting together back-to-back national titles in 1955–56, the NCAA tournament had overtaken the NIT as the true playoff for the national championship. By then, the NCAAs had automatic berths for all major conference champions and had expanded from eight to 25 teams while the NIT was still inviting only 12 teams.

1. San Francisco
2. Kentucky, SEC
3. La Salle
4. NC State, ACC
5. Iowa, Big Ten
6. Duquesne
7. Utah
8. Marquette
9. Dayton
10. Oregon State

1. San Francisco (25-0)
2. NC State, ACC (24-3)
3. Dayton (23-3)
4. Iowa, Big Ten (17-5)
5. Alabama, SEC (21-3)
6. Louisville (23-3)
7. SMU, Southwest (22-2)
8. UCLA (21-5)
9. Kentucky, SEC (19-5)
10. Illinois, Big Ten (18-4)

Defending national champion San Francisco staked its claim as the best college basketball team ever in 1955–56. The Dons entered the season on a 26–game winning streak and exited with a record 55 in a row by becoming the first undefeated team (29–0) ever to win the NCAA title.

All four of USF's tourney opponents were ranked—No.8 UCLA, No.18 Utah, No.7 SMU and No.4 Iowa—and the Dons beat them all by at least 11 points. Iowa, the Big Ten champ for the second straight year, came into the NCAA final on a 17–game win streak of its own before losing, 83–71.

USF center Bill Russell might have cinched his second tournament Most Outstanding Player award if Temple's 5-11 Hal Lear hadn't scored 160 point in five games. But the defensive-minded Russell was everybody's Player of the year and established such an intimidating court presence that following the season, the NCAA passed the so-called “Russell-Rule,” extending the foul lane from six to 12 feet.

Fieldhouse Flyer wrote:

Six-foot wide free throw lane prior to 1956-57 season.

Starting with the 1956-1957 season, the width of the free throw lane was increased from 6 feet to 12 feet.

The National Invitation Tournament; Once the Premier Event in College Hoops

Fieldhouse Flyer wrote:
UDPride RPI Rankings – Sunday Morning March 12th

RPI Rank – Team – Regular-season W-L (Conference W-L) SOS Ranking • W-L vs. RPI Top 50 • W-L vs. RPI Top 100

1 - Villanova - 31-3 (15-3) #25 • 12-2 • 17-3
14 - Butler - 23-8 (12-6) #9 • 10-4 • 16-5
26 - Creighton – 24-9 (10-8) #44 • 6-5 • 10-8
36 - Xavier – 21-13 (9-9) #14 • 4-9 • 8-13
44 - Seton Hall – 21-11 (10-8) #47 • 4-7 • 9-10
55 - Providence – 20-12 (10-8) #49 • 6-8 • 8-9
60 - Marquette – 19-12 (10-8) #56 • 7-7 • 9-10
108 - Georgetown – 14-18 (5-13) #26 • 3-11 • 6-14
139 - St. John's - 14-19 (7-11) #51 • 2-11 • 5-14
236 - DePaul - 9-23 (2-16) # 81 • 0-12 • 1-15

Fieldhouse Flyer wrote:
Final Post-Tournament RPI Rankings – UDPride.com - Tuesday April 4, 2017

This season, the Top 6 conferences had Final RPI Ratings of .550 or better, the next 6 conferences had Final RPI Ratings of .500 or better, and the remaining 20 conferences had Final RPI Ratings worse than .500.

RPI Rank, Conference, RPI Rating

1 Atlantic Coast Conference .5802
2 Big 12 .5779
3 Big East .5676
4 Big Ten .5653
5 Southeastern .5580
6 Pac 12 .5501

7 American Athletic Conference .5242
8 Atlantic 10 .5227
9 West Coast .5218
10 Mountain West .5208
11 Colonial .5040
12 Missouri Valley Conference .5007
-----------------------------------------------------------
Big East

RPI Rank, Team, RPI Rating, Overall W-L Record

3 Villanova .6557 32-4
13 Butler .6278 25-9
27 Xavier .6042 24-14
32 Creighton .5960 24-10
46 Seton Hall .5790 21-12
61 Providence .5631 20-13
67 Marquette .5577 19-13
115 Georgetown .5247 14-18
148 St. John's (NY) .5113 14-19
236 DePaul .4561 9-23

Fieldhouse Flyer wrote:
In 2016-17, the Big East had its best average Final RPI Ranking since its formation as a ten-member conference. The average BE RPI Ranking was 75.

4-Year Average Final RPI Ranking - Team ( 2013-14 RPI Ranking • 2014-15 RPI Ranking • 2015-16 RPI Ranking • 2016-17 RPI Ranking )

4 - Villanova ( 8 • 6 • 2 • 3 )
29 - Xavier ( 56 • 28 • 8 • 27 )
41 - Providence ( 46 • 25 • 32 • 61 )

62 - Butler ( 154 • 30 • 53 • 13 )
75 - Creighton ( 17 • 157 • 94 • 32 )
77 - Seton Hall ( 136 • 103 • 23 • 46 )
79 - Georgetown ( 75 • 24 • 103 • 115 )
80 - BE Average ( 83 • 77 • 87 • 75 )

104 - Marquette ( 94 • 145 • 111 • 67 )
131 - St. John's ( 82 • 52 • 245 • 148 )
197 - DePaul ( 157 • 197 • 201 • 236 )

Drexel, 2012 (27-6)
Harvard, 2011 (23-7)
Virginia Tech, 2010 (23-7)
Syracuse, 2007 (22-10)
Missouri State, 2006 (20-8)
Hofstra, 2006 (20-8)
Utah State, 2004 (24-3)
Richmond, 2001 (21-6)
Gonzaga, 1998 (23-9)
Oklahoma, 1994 (15-12)

SMU
California
Florida State
Green Bay
Minnesota
Georgetown: The Hoyas lost five of their last seven games down the stretch and ended the season at 17-14. It helped Georgetown’s resume that they had non-conference wins over Michigan State, Kansas State, and VCU, but does anyone deserve to make the field if they lose to DePaul on a neutral court?

Surprises

UCLA is in

Georgetown a 4-seed: The Hoyas are a good team, but even they have to be surprised to hear their name called on the No. 4 line when it was announced. Our own Jerry Palm had them as a No. 5, and BracketMatrix.com (a site that averages together all of the reputable brackets published online) had Georgetown as the top No. 6 seed. Having said that, the committee didn't do the Hoyas any favors matching them up with a dangerous No. 13 in Eastern Washington.

Indiana on the 10-seed line

LSU on the 9-seed line

Snubs

Non-Power 5 teams: The committee really wasn't a fan of the non-Power 5 leagues this season. Teams like UCLA, Texas, Ole Miss, Georgia and Indiana were prioritized over Temple, Colorado State, Murray State and Old Dominion. Overall, only seven teams made the field from non-Power-5/Big East leagues, and only two of those were from true mid-major leagues (Wichita State and BYU).

Colorado State

Wichita State a 7-seed

Dayton in the play-in game: Okay. For the life of me, I can't figure out what the committee was doing on this one. A top-40 KenPom rating? Check. Top-30 RPI? Check. 25 wins? Check. Winning record against the RPI top-100? Check. There is legitimately no world where the Flyers on the 11-line makes sense to me, no world where UCLA being ranked ahead of the Flyers makes sense to me, and no world where UConn beating SMU earlier this afternoon in the AAC Championship game causing the Flyers to be left at home makes sense to me (exactly what would have happened had the Huskies beaten the Mustangs). The committee has a lot of explaining to do here.

Look at the middling high-major teams that got into the tournament:.

— Vanderbilt: 19-13 record, 63rd in RPI, 27th in KenPom.

— Oregon State: 18-12 record, 33rd in RPI, 60th in KenPom.

— Syracuse: 19-13 record, 72nd in RPI, 41st in KenPom.

— Michigan: 21-12, 57th in RPI, 56th in KenPom.

Now shall we look at the mid-majors that missed the cut?

— St. Bonaventure: 22-8 record, 30th in RPI, 79th in KenPom.

— Monmouth: 27-7 record, 52nd in RPI, 67th in KenPom.

— St. Mary’s: 27-5 record, 38th in RPI, 34th in KenPom.

— Valparaiso: 24-6, 49th in RPI, 36th in KenPom.

Here are a few of the biggest snubs in Sunday’s bracket reveal:

Michigan State
Teams that aren’t in the Pac-12
St. Bonaventure
Monmouth
South Carolina

Syracuse (18-14, 10-8 ACC)
Illinois State (27-6, 17-1 Missouri Valley)
Monmouth (27-6, 18-2 MAAC)
Texas-Arlington (25-8, 14-4 Sun Belt)

The selection committee made something clear this year, again.

When things are close to equal, committee members are more interested in .500-ish power-conference teams than upstarts from mid-major leagues.

1. Villanova Wildcats, 1985

4. Butler Bulldogs, 2010

3. Villanova 1985 -- No. 8 to champion

4. Butler 2011 -- No. 8 to title game

13. Providence 1987 -- No. 6 to Final Four

A No. 15 seed upsetting a No. 2 seed is rare. It has happened only eight times in the NCAA Tournament since 1985.

2016 - Middle Tennessee State shocks Michigan St., 90-81
2013 - Florida Gulf Coast beats Georgetown, 78-68
2012 - Norfolk St. stuns Missouri, 86-84
2012 - Lehigh takes down Duke, 75-70
2001 - Hampton dances over Iowa St., 58-57
1997 - Coppin St. crushes South Carolina, 78-65
1993 - Santa Clara surprises Arizona, 64-61
1991 - Richmond snares Syracuse, 73-69

Between 1939 and 1970 teams could compete in either tournament.

In 1945, The New York Times indicated that many teams could get bids to enter either tournament, which was not uncommon in that day. In any case, since the mid-1950s, the NCAA tournament has been popularly regarded by most individuals as the major post season tourney, with conference champions and the majority of the top-ranked teams participating in it.

Nevertheless, as late as 1970, Coach Al McGuire of Marquette, the 8th-ranked team in the final AP poll of the season, spurned an NCAA at-large invitation because the Warriors were going to be placed in the NCAA Midwest Regional (Fort Worth, Texas) instead of closer to home in the Mideast Regional (Dayton, Ohio).

The team played in the 1970 NIT instead, which it won. This led the NCAA to decree in 1971 that any school to which it offered a bid must accept it or be prohibited from participating in postseason competition, reducing the pool of teams that could accept an NIT invitation.

A Fervor Unmatched

Started in 1938, the NIT is a year older than the NCAA Tournament and for a couple of decades — with a better TV contract and a marquee setting — it was more prestigious.

Coach Tom Blackburn was from New York and once he took over at UD, he made the tournament his ultimate goal. And he became more of an NIT man after his first — and only — NCAA Tournament experience.

Back in the early days, a team could play in both tournaments and that’s what UD did in 1952. After finishing as runners-up in the 1952 NIT, the Flyers headed to the 1952 NCAA Tournament and a match-up with Illinois in Chicago. “The NCAA had a lot of background with the Big Ten,” former coach Don Donoher said. “And the way Blackburn told the story, at the banquet the night before the game, one of the (NCAA) officials took the microphone and wished Illinois luck.”

Not that the Illini needed it. Dayton was whistled for 41 personal fouls, still second all-time for an NCAA Tournament game. Five Flyers fouled out, and while Illinois made 32 of 47 free throws, Dayton — which lost by 19 — made 13 of 18.

Donoher said that left “a sour taste” with Blackburn, who focused on the NIT and sent 10 teams to New York in a 12-year span.

In the process, the city of Dayton fell in love with the tournament. “The NIT was a big deal to everyone back then.”

And it became even more so in Dayton when the Flyers won the tournament in 1962. Bill Chmielewski, the Flyers sophomore big man, was named the MVP and with UD fans mobbing him on the court, he turned his award upside down and wore it on his head like a helmet. And the photograph of that played in newspapers across the country.

“When we got back to Dayton, people packed the airport,” Chmielewski said. “Coming down the expressway, people were waving signs and blowing their car horns. The Fieldhouse was packed, too. That’s when I realized what University of Dayton sports meant to this town.”

Marquette is the last university to spurn an NCAA invite and did so due to a low seeding in the 1970 NCAA Tournament and having to travel. They were ranked 8th in the country at the time and were one of the favorites to win the NCAA championship. They were invited to the 1970 NIT which they won. The NCAA later instituted a rule which forbid an NCAA Division I level men's basketball team from spurning an NCAA bid for an NIT bid. An antitrust case by the NIT ensued over this issue, and the NCAA settled out of court.

The 1970 National Invitation Tournament was unique in that coach Al McGuire of Marquette University, unhappy with his team's placement, turned down a bid to the NCAA tournament and elected to play in the NIT instead. His Marquette Warriors went on to claim the NIT Championship.

Fieldhouse Flyer wrote:Turning Down Invitations to the NCAA Tournament

National Invitation Tournament - Wikipedia

Between 1939 and 1970 teams could compete in either tournament.

In 1945, The New York Times indicated that many teams could get bids to enter either tournament, which was not uncommon in that day. In any case, since the mid-1950s, the NCAA tournament has been popularly regarded by most individuals as the major post season tourney, with conference champions and the majority of the top-ranked teams participating in it.

Nevertheless, as late as 1970, Coach Al McGuire of Marquette, the 8th-ranked team in the final AP poll of the season, spurned an NCAA at-large invitation because the Warriors were going to be placed in the NCAA Midwest Regional (Fort Worth, Texas) instead of closer to home in the Mideast Regional (Dayton, Ohio).

The team played in the 1970 NIT instead, which it won. This led the NCAA to decree in 1971 that any school to which it offered a bid must accept it or be prohibited from participating in postseason competition, reducing the pool of teams that could accept an NIT invitation.

Flyers Revisiting their Roots in NIT – Dayton Daily News - March 28, 2010

A Fervor Unmatched

Started in 1938, the NIT is a year older than the NCAA Tournament and for a couple of decades — with a better TV contract and a marquee setting — it was more prestigious.

Coach Tom Blackburn was from New York and once he took over at UD, he made the tournament his ultimate goal. And he became more of an NIT man after his first — and only — NCAA Tournament experience.

Back in the early days, a team could play in both tournaments and that’s what UD did in 1952. After finishing as runners-up in the 1952 NIT, the Flyers headed to the 1952 NCAA Tournament and a match-up with Illinois in Chicago. “The NCAA had a lot of background with the Big Ten,” former coach Don Donoher said. “And the way Blackburn told the story, at the banquet the night before the game, one of the (NCAA) officials took the microphone and wished Illinois luck.”

Not that the Illini needed it. Dayton was whistled for 41 personal fouls, still second all-time for an NCAA Tournament game. Five Flyers fouled out, and while Illinois made 32 of 47 free throws, Dayton — which lost by 19 — made 13 of 18.

Donoher said that left “a sour taste” with Blackburn, who focused on the NIT and sent 10 teams to New York in a 12-year span.

In the process, the city of Dayton fell in love with the tournament. “The NIT was a big deal to everyone back then.”

And it became even more so in Dayton when the Flyers won the tournament in 1962. Bill Chmielewski, the Flyers sophomore big man, was named the MVP and with UD fans mobbing him on the court, he turned his award upside down and wore it on his head like a helmet. And the photograph of that played in newspapers across the country.

“When we got back to Dayton, people packed the airport,” Chmielewski said. “Coming down the expressway, people were waving signs and blowing their car horns. The Fieldhouse was packed, too. That’s when I realized what University of Dayton sports meant to this town.”

I couldn’t find a reference for the number of NCAA Tournament invitations that Tom Blackburn turned down between 1952 and 1962 in favor of the NIT, but it was a good few, and could be as many as eight. Coach Blackburn loved The Garden. Related HLOH post: The Dayton Flyers at Madison Square Garden.



Marquette Golden Eagles Men’s Basketball - Wikipedia

Marquette is the last university to spurn an NCAA invite and did so due to a low seeding in the 1970 NCAA Tournament and having to travel. They were ranked 8th in the country at the time and were one of the favorites to win the NCAA championship. They were invited to the 1970 NIT which they won. The NCAA later instituted a rule which forbid an NCAA Division I level men's basketball team from spurning an NCAA bid for an NIT bid. An antitrust case by the NIT ensued over this issue, and the NCAA settled out of court.

1970 National Invitational Tournament - Wikipedia

The 1970 National Invitation Tournament was unique in that coach Al McGuire of Marquette University, unhappy with his team's placement, turned down a bid to the NCAA tournament and elected to play in the NIT instead. His Marquette Warriors went on to claim the NIT Championship.