NIT Bracket 2021 odds: Saint Louis, Colorado State Among Top Seeds for Tournament
March Madness is upon us, and while 68 teams were fortunate enough to get Big Dance invites, others received a consolation ticket of sorts. They’ll be part of the NIT bracket 2021, with odds favoring some of the top seeds in the smaller field of teams. Among those top seeds will be Saint Louis and Colorado State, several teams that would’ve preferred to head to Indiana rather than Texas for their postseason games.
NIT Bracket 2021 matchups revealed
Along with the NCAA Tournament 2021 bracket being unveiled on Sunday evening, the National Invite Tournament (NIT) bracket also arrived. It includes 16 teams who will participate in NIT games scheduled for Frisco and Denton, Texas, in the coming week.
The four No. 1 seeds for this year’s NIT will be Colorado State, Memphis, Saint Louis, and Ole Miss. Davidson, Boise State, Richmond, and Saint Mary’s claimed No. 2 seeds. Many of these teams regularly frequent the bigger bracket, but that won’t be the case this year. However, one could build upon a successful run heading towards the 2021-22 season.
There’s a printable bracket available here for the National Invitation Tournament.
Below is a look at all of the first round matchups for the 2021 National Invite Tournament:
Upper left bracket matchups:
- No. 1 Colorado State (18-6) vs. No. 4 Buffalo (16-8)
- No. 2 Davidson (13-8) vs. No. 3 N.C. State (13-10)
Lower left bracket matchups:
- No. 1 Memphis (16-8) vs. No. 4 Dayton (14-9)
- No. 2 Boise State (18-8) vs. No. 3 SMU (11-5)
Upper right bracket matchups:
- No. 1 Saint Louis (14-6) vs. No. 4 Mississippi State (15-14)
- No. 2 Richmond (13-8) vs. No. 3 Toledo (21-8)
Lower right bracket matchups:
- No. 1 Ole Miss (16-11) vs. No. 4 Louisiana Tech (21-7)
- No. 2 Saint Mary’s (14-9) vs. No. 3 Western Kentucky (20-7)
NIT team odds & first round schedule
Luckily for college basketball fans, there will be no shortage of games to watch in the coming week. Along with the NCAA tournament games, NIT games will also get televised treatment. However, fans will have to watch them on ESPN and ESPN2. They’re scheduled to take place March 17 through March 20 for the opening round matchups.
Game 1: No. 2 Richmond vs. No. 3 Toledo March 17, 7 p.m. ESPN2
Game 2: No. 2 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 3 WKU — 9 p.m. ESPN2
Game 3: No. 2 Davidson vs. No. 3 N.C. State March 18, 7 p.m. ESPN
Game 4: No. 2 Boise State vs. No. 3 SMU — 9 p.m. ESPN
Game 5: No. 1 Colorado State vs. No. 4 Buffalo March 19, 7 p.m. ESPN2
Game 6: No. 1 Ole Miss vs. No. 4 Louisiana Tech — 9 p.m. ESPN2
Game 7: No. 1 Memphis vs. No. 4 Dayton March 20, Noon ESPN
Game 8: No. 1 Saint Louis vs. No. 4 Mississippi State — 5 p.m. ESPN
In terms of odds to win the NIT in 2021, they’ve yet to arrive at popular online sportsbooks including our favorite, BetUs. As soon as the latest odds arrive, we’ll be sure to provide the update of where the 16 teams fall.
Visit our basketball page here to get more of the latest odds news and rumors.
