NEW YORK--- Unveiling the latest in a series of enhancements to the event, the 16-team NIT Season Tip-Off will guarantee every team four games beginning in 2008. The announcement was made today by Greg Shaheen, President of the NIT, LLC.
First- and second-round games will continue to be played at four home campus sites. The four winners of those sites will move onto New York’s Madison Square Garden over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Beginning in 2008, the remaining 12 teams will play third- and fourth-round NIT Season Tip-Off games during Thanksgiving week. The games will be played on three home campus sites that will be determined by a seeding process. Participating teams will not play any team twice and third- and fourth-rounds will be assigned to the most geographically compatible site as possible.
The NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals and finals will continue to be held later the same week, on Wednesday and Friday in New York.
“Over the past two years, we committed to study the environment and evolve the NIT Season Tip-Off and Postseason Tournaments to be attractive and meaningful to those who participate,” Shaheen commented.
“The NIT Committee, chaired by C.M. Newton, studied a variety of options to assure student-athletes, schools and their fans would enjoy four highly competitive games when they join the NIT Season Tip-Off field. This new format enriches the variety of game experiences for all of the participating teams, which benefit their profile at the end of the season. With continued growth in crowds and television viewership, we’re thrilled that the NIT continues to evolve as we had hoped,” commented Shaheen.
The Postseason NIT was founded in 1938 by a group of New York City sportswriters while the NIT Season Tip-Off, formerly known as the Preseason NIT, started in 1985. An independent at-large committee chooses the field for both events. Since the inception of the two Tournaments, tens of thousands of student-athletes and coaches have participated. Visit www.nit.org for more details on Tournament history, selection committee and procedures.
-30-
