NIT Bracket >>>>
Three Big West teams in CSUN, UC Irvine and UC Riverside will represent the conference in the 32-team 2025 National Invitational Tournament (NIT). The Anteaters are in the field for the third consecutive year and ninth time overall, while it is the first NIT appearance for Highlanders and Matadors in their respective program history.  

The first three rounds of the NIT will be held at campus sites, with higher-seeded teams hosting games. The semifinals and championship game will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 1 and April 3. The entire tournament will be broadcast across the ESPN family of networks.

UC Irvine (28-6) received a No. 1 seed and will host Northern Colorado (25-9) in a first-round matchup, Wednesday, March 19 at 7 p.m. PT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The Anteaters finished second in the Big West regular season standings with a 17-3 record. The Bears were co-champions of the Big Sky regular season at 15-3.

UC Irvine is led by senior center Bent Leuchten, an All-Big West First Team honoree who averages 15.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Senior forward Devin Tillis was an all-conference second team honoree averaging 13.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per outing.

UC Riverside (21-12) is also in the same region of the bracket and will play at No. 2 seed Santa Clara (20-12) on Tuesday, March 18 at 8 p.m. PT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The Highlanders finished the regular season tied for third in The Big West standings with a 14-6 record. The Broncos were fourth in the West Coast Conference with a 12-6 league mark.

First-Team All-Big West redshirt sophomore guard Barrington Hargress highlights the UC Riverside’s offense averaging 20.6 points and 4.0 assists per contest. All-conference honorable mention senior guard Isaiah Moses pitches in 12.2 points per game.

CSUN (22-10) will also be headed to the Bay Area to take on No. 2 seed Stanford (20-13) on Tuesday, March 18 at 8 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2. The Matadors concluded the regular season deadlocked in third place in The Big West with a 14-6 conference mark. The Cardinal was 11-9 in ACC play, good for seventh in the standings.

First-Team All-Big West senior forward Keonte Jones fills the stat sheet for the Matadors with 13.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Sophomore forward Marcus Adams Jr., an All-Big West Second Team member, logs a team-high 16.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per outing.