Tournament Turf Wars: NIT, College Basketball Crown Battle for Leftovers

Even before the new College Basketball Crown formally starts, its standing is under heavy scrutiny, as is the National Invitation Tournament that has been radically altered by the new postseason entrant. 

The Las Vegas–based, 16-team College Basketball Crown, first unveiled last spring, is a new venture led by Fox Sports and AEG that brings in teams from three power conferences the network already airs, as well as additional invited squads. 

The effort adds to fast-rising fallout from a reshaped March Madness field that includes a record 14 SEC teams, more power conference dominance than ever, and a new investigation from West Virginia leaders due to the Mountaineers’ exclusion from that tournament. 

The original formula for the College Basketball Crown was to have two guaranteed slots from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East—three conferences for which Fox already holds multiyear-rights deals—along with 10 additional schools. The situation, however, quickly grew more complicated from there. Among the resulting impacts:

• A rather different look to the NIT. A tournament that has existed since 1938 and is owned and operated by the NCAA, the NIT had more than half of its 32-team field last year filled by power conference schools. This year, just four such teams are in that event: the ACC’s Georgia Tech, SMU, and Stanford, and the Big 12’s Oklahoma State—with the Cowboys bringing in a losing record. Instead, mid-majors are dominating the NIT with the Atlantic 10 and AAC combining for 10 slots. 
• At least 15 schools reportedly declined NIT bids or were contractually precluded from accepting because of the College Basketball Crown, a number similar to the record 17 to pass on the 2024 event. At least eight turned down the College Basketball Crown, with those groups containing substantial overlap. Both tournaments have far less stature or financial payoff than March Madness—even with the promise of NIL award packages for top-performing College Basketball Crown competitors. 
• Despite a 12–20 record, South Carolina had an automatic bid with the NIT, the result of an NCAA change last fall to give such berths to top SEC and ACC schools not in March Madness. LSU, a 14–18 team, also had an NIT bid after the SEC placed a record 14 teams in March Madness. Both schools, however, turned down the invites. 
• More complications around the transfer portal. The portal for men’s college basketball opens March 24, a week before the start of the College Basketball Crown and six days after the start of the NIT. That portal timing is a significant issue for teams that missed March Madness and are looking to retool for next season while also fielding invites to keep playing this season. 
• Because of the portal, it also remains to be seen how deep participating NIT or College Basketball Crown teams are, particularly with the latter’s requirement of at least seven available scholarship players per team.
• A college basketball battle royale among major U.S. media networks, with CBS and TNT Sports combining for March Madness coverage, ESPN airing the women’s tournament and the NIT, and Fox broadcasting the College Basketball Crown.
• Widespread confusion around the final composition of the tournament fields even led to the NCAA inviting South Alabama to the NIT, then rescinding that invitation after learning UC Riverside was not going to the lesser College Basketball Invitational. South Alabama coach Richie Riley blasted the NCAA’s public apology for the mishap.

“A meaningless apology to the most meaningful group of players I’ve ever coached!” Riley said Monday in a social media post. “What they did to us is inexcusable! These guys in our locker room don’t deserve this and it’s sad your idea of making it right is a copy and paste apology.”