NIT games today: Matchups, start times, TV channel for Thursday's semifinals
Craig MeyerThis weekend, the 2026 Final Four will tip off, with Michigan, Arizona, UConn and Illinois all aiming to complete their quest of winning a national championship at the end of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Earlier that week, and in the same city as the Final Four, another quartet of college basketball teams will be fighting for a different kind of prize.
The 2026 NIT is down to its last four participants — New Mexico, Tulsa, Illinois State and Auburn — and the semifinals for the event will begin on Thursday, April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, about seven miles north of Lucas Oil Stadium, the site of this year’s Final Four.
The winners of the semifinal matchups will square off in the NIT title game on Sunday, April 5, one day after the Final Four semifinals and one day before the NCAA championship game.
Tulsa, which won the event in 1981 and 2001, is the only one of the four semifinalists that has an NIT championship to its name.
Here’s what you need to know to watch the NIT semifinals today:
NIT games today
All times Eastern
- New Mexico vs. Tulsa, 7 p.m.
- Illinois State vs. Auburn, 9:30 p.m.
The semifinals of the 2026 NIT will be held on Thursday, April 2, with New Mexico taking on Tulsa at 7 p.m. in the first matchup of the day and Auburn squaring off against Illinois State at 9:30 p.m. to complete the doubleheader.
The start of the Auburn-Illinois State game could be pushed back depending on how long the preceding New Mexico-Tulsa contest takes to complete.
NIT schedule
- Semifinals: Thursday, April 2
- Championship: Sunday, April 5
The semifinals of the NIT will take place on Thursday, April 2. The winners of those two games will meet in the tournament’s championship game three days later on Sunday, April 5.
What channel is the NIT on?
- TV channel: ESPN, ESPN2
- Streaming: ESPN app, Fubo (free trial)
Both semifinals of the 2026 NIT will air on ESPN while the championship game will be broadcast three days later on ESPN2.
Streaming options for the games include the ESPN app, which requires a valid cable login to access, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Watch the 2026 NIT live with Fubo (free trial)NIT bracket
Click here to view the bracket for the 2026 NIT.
Where is the NIT championship?
The NIT semifinals and championship game will be held at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The historic venue on the campus of Butler University has been hosting the NIT semifinals and title game since 2024. Those games had historically been held at Madison Square Garden in New York.
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