Indianapolis to host 2025 NIT Championship, announces new committee members

INDIANAPOLIS — The 2025 National Invitation Tournament semifinals and championship will remain in Indianapolis and be played at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse for the second consecutive year.

Indianapolis will also host the 2026 NIT semifinals and championship as part of the previously announced combined Division I, II and III men’s basketball championships.

The 2025 semifinals will be held on Tuesday, April 1, and the championship game will be held on Thursday, April 3. Butler University and the Indiana Sports Corporation will once again host the event.

The 88th NIT will continue to feature 32 teams, with the first round, second round and quarterfinals taking place on campus. For the fourth year, the 2025 NIT will select only the top 16 teams (the top four teams from each group) and will place the remaining 16 teams selected geographically in the bracket, where possible.

The 2024 NIT saw both the semifinals and championship game played to sold-out crowds at Hinkle Fieldhouse, with over 9,000 fans in attendance both nights.

Additionally, the NIT added former men’s basketball coach Phil Martelli and Conference USA associate commissioner for basketball Clifton Douglass to the NIT committee beginning with the 2024-25 season.

A legend among Big Five coaches, Martelli is the winningest coach in Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball history. With a historic 444-328 record during his 24 years as the Hawks’ head coach, Martelli led Saint Joseph’s to the NCAA Tournament seven times and six NIT appearances. In 2003-04, Martelli’s team won 27 straight, finishing the regular season undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation before being upset in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals. That team went on to win three games in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Oklahoma State in the East Rutherford Regional final.

Douglass joined the Conference USA staff in 2016 and became associate commissioner for basketball in 2021. In addition to his responsibilities for men’s and women’s basketball, Douglass also oversees women’s soccer and women’s golf and served as chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Committee for two years. As a student-athlete, Douglass was a two-year captain of the Alcorn State men’s basketball team.

Martelli and Douglass will join an NIT committee that will be chaired by Tim Duncan, New Orleans vice president of athletics and recreation. Other members of the 2024-25 NIT committee are Morgan State vice president and athletics director Dena Freeman-Patton and former Division I men’s basketball coaches Bob McKillop, Gary Waters and Bob Williams.

All NIT games will be streamed live on ESPN platforms. For more information on the championship, visit ncaa.com/NIT.