National Invitational Tournament History
Born in 1938, the National Invitational Tournament is the United States' oldest college basketball tournament, beating the NCAA tournament by a year. Today's NIT is actually two tournaments: one played at the start of the season and one played at the end.
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Origin
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The first NIT was the brainchild of the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, a group of New York-area sportswriters who wanted to see an annual postseason championship tournament. The first NIT featured six teams, including eventual champion Temple University, and was held at Madison Square Garden.
Growth
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The NIT quickly grew to eight teams in 1941, and then to 16 in 1968, 24 in 1979 and 32 in 1980. It grew again to 40 teams in 2002, before dropping back down to a field of 32 in 2006.
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Management
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In 1948, the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association, made up of representatives from five New York-area universities, assumed management of the NIT. The association would run the tournament until August 2005, when the NCAA took control.
Venues
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All NIT games were played at Madison Square Garden in New York City until 1977, when early round games were moved to the participating schools' campuses. The NIT semifinal and final rounds were the only games still played at the Garden.
Preseason NIT
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In 1985, the NIT launched its 16-team preseason tournament, featuring early-round games at college campuses and the semifinal and final rounds at Madison Square Garden.
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