Fox Sports has officially announced their new NIT rival, the 16-team College Basketball Crown tournament. The tournament will consist of schools that did not qualify for the men’s NCAA Tournament, with automatic bids going to two squads from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East conferences. These conferences have television agreements with the network. The remaining teams will be at-large participants, but only men’s teams will be included in the tournament.
Taking place in Vegas’ MGM Garden Arena and MGM Arena from March 31, 2025 to April 6th, this year’s NIT is a presenting sponsor by AEG. It will be aired on both Fox and FS1. The NIT is a 32-team tournament that has been around since 1938 and serves as a consolation tournament for teams that missed out on the NCAAs. However, some teams opted out of participating in the NIT this year to focus on the transfer portal like Rick Pitino’s St. John’s did.
The final matchup of this year’s NIT tournament between Indiana State and Seton Hall will be televised on ESPN on Thursday night.
