Fox Sports’ NIT rival is official, an executive briefed on the network’s plans told The Athletic on Wednesday.
The 16-team College Basketball Crown tournament will feature schools that failed to qualify for the men’s NCAA Tournament with two squads each from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East receiving automatic bids. Not coincidentally, all three conferences have college basketball television agreements with the network. The rest of the field will feature at-large participants but will only include men’s teams.
The tournament will take place in Vegas’ MGM Garden Arena and MGM Arena, beginning March 31, 2025, and extend until April 6. AEG is a presenting sponsor. Games will air on both Fox and FS1.
The 32-team NIT has been around since 1938. While it is the consolation tournament after missing out on the NCAAs, some teams, like Rick Pitino’s St. John’s, passed on it this year so coaches could concentrate on the transfer portal. This year’s NIT final — televised on ESPN — takes place Thursday and poses a fun matchup between Indiana State and Seton Hall.
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