The 2026 NIT continued Wednesday and higher-seeded teams took care of business to advance to the second round after upsets dominated the Tuesday schedule.

No. 1 seed Wake Forest defeated Navy 82-72 behind 26 points from star guard Juke Harris. The Demon Deacons will face No. 4 seed Illinois State in the second round. Illinois State advanced with a convincing 79-58 win over Kent State behind 24 points from Landon Wolf.

George Washington defeated No. 4 seed Utah Valley 79-78. George Washington will now face No. 4 seed New Mexico with a trip to the second round on the line. Rafael Castro finished with a double-double (22 points, 11 rebounds) in the upset win.

On Tuesday, Liberty eliminated No. 3 seed George Mason 77-71 behind 23 points from Josh Smith. UNC-Wilmington defeated No. 3 seed Yale 68-67 on the road and will face No. 2 seed Dayton in the second round.

2026 March Madness live stream: NCAA Tournament TV schedule for first round Thursday, watch streaming online

Cameron Salerno

No. 1 seed Auburn trailed at halftime by six to South Alabama at home. However, the Tigers flipped the switch in the second half and avoided an upset scare with a 78-67 win over the Jaguars. Auburn will face No. 4 seed Seattle U next.

Only four power conference teams are competing in the NIT this year: Auburn, Cal, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State. Multiple programs — such as Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Belmont and San Diego State declined an invitation to the NIT after missing out on the NCAA Tournament. 

Here is a look at the full bracket.

2026 NIT key dates 

First Round: March 17-18
Second round: March 21-22
Quarterfinals: March 24-25
Semifinals: April 2 (Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis)
Championship: April 5 (Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis)

All times Eastern

2026 NIT First Round schedule 

Games in the first three rounds to be played at the higher-seeded team’s home arena

Auburn Region

FIRST ROUND

No. 1 Auburn 78, South Alabama 67 | Recap
No. 2  Nevada 89, Murray State 75 | Recap
Liberty 77, No. 3 George Mason 71 | Recap
No. 4 Seattle U 67, St. Thomas (MN) 52 | Recap

SECOND ROUND

No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 4 Seattle U | Sunday, 6:30 p.m. 
No. 2 Nevada vs. Liberty | Saturday, 9 p.m. 

Albuquerque Region

FIRST ROUND

No. 1 New Mexico 107, Sam Houston 83 | Recap
No. 2  Cal 91, UIC 73 | Recap
No. 3 Colorado State vs. Saint Joseph’s | Recap
George Washington 79, No. 4 Utah Valley 78 | Recap

SECOND ROUND

No. 1 New Mexico vs. George Washington | Sunday, 8 p.m. 
No. 2 Cal vs. Saint Joseph’s | Sunday, 9 p.m. 

Winston-Salem Region

FIRST ROUND

No. 1 Wake Forest 82, Navy 72 | Recap
No. 2 Dayton 80, Bradley 66 | Recap
UNCW 68, No. 3 Yale 67 | Recap
No. 4 Illinois State vs. Kent State | Recap

SECOND ROUND

No. 1 Wake Forest vs. No. 4 Illinois State | Sunday, 4:30 p.m. 
No. 2 Dayton vs. UNC-Wilmington | Saturday, 7 p.m. 

Tulsa Region

FIRST ROUND

No. 1 Tulsa 89, Stephen F. Austin 84 (OT) | Recap
No. 2 Oklahoma State 84, Davidson 80 | Recap
No. 3 Wichita State 74, Wyoming 70 | Recap
UNLV 75, No. 4 UC Irvine 72 | Recap

SECOND ROUND

No. 1 Tulsa vs. UNLV | Sunday, 7 p.m. 
No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 3 Wichita State | Sunday, 8:30 p.m.