# 1987 National Invitation Tournament

The 1987 National Invitation Tournament was the 1987 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. The tournament began on Wednesday, March 11, and ended when the Southern Miss Golden Eagles defeated the La Salle Explorers in the NIT championship game on Thursday, March 26, at Madison Square Garden.

## Selected teams

Below is a list of the 32 teams selected for the tournament.
* Akron
* Arkansas
* Arkansas–Little Rock
* Arkansas State
* Baylor
* Boise State
* California
* Cal State Fullerton
* Chattanooga
* Cleveland State
* Florida State
* Illinois State
* Jacksonville
* James Madison
* La Salle
* Marquette
* Mississippi
* Montana State
* Nebraska
* New Mexico
* Niagara
* Oregon State
* Rhode Island
* Saint Louis
* Saint Peter's
* Seton Hall
* Southern Miss
* Stephen F. Austin
* Utah
* Vanderbilt
* Villanova
* Washington

### Louisville declines invitation

Louisville turned down an invitation to the 1987 NIT, the first team in history to decline an NIT bid. No team would do so again until Georgetown in 2002.

## Bracket

Below are the four first round brackets, along with the four-team championship bracket.
| First Round | First Round | First Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| Niagara | Niagara | 74 | | | | | | |
| Seton Hall | Seton Hall | 65 | | | | | | |
| Seton Hall | Seton Hall | 65 | Niagara | Niagara | 81 | | | |
| | | | La Salle | La Salle | 89 | | | |
| La Salle | La Salle | 86 | La Salle | La Salle | 89 | | | |
| Villanova | Villanova | 84 | | | | | | |
| Villanova | Villanova | 84 | | | | La Salle | La Salle | 70 |
| | | | | | | Illinois State | Illinois State | 50 |
| Cleveland State | Cleveland State | 92 | | | | | | | Illinois State | Illinois State | 50 |
| Chattanooga | Chattanooga | 73 | | | | | | |
| Chattanooga | Chattanooga | 73 | Cleveland State | Cleveland State | 77 | | | |
| | | | Illinois State | Illinois State | 79 | | | |
| Illinois State | Illinois State | 79 | Illinois State | Illinois State | 79 | | | |
| Akron | Akron | 72 | | | | | | |
| First Round | First Round | First Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| Arkansas–Little Rock | Arkansas–Little Rock | 42 | | | | | |
| Baylor | Baylor | 41 | | | | | |
| Baylor | Baylor | 41 | Arkansas–Little Rock | Arkansas–Little Rock | 54 | | |
| | | | Stephen F. Austin | Stephen F. Austin | 48 | | |
| Stephen F. Austin | Stephen F. Austin | 70 | Stephen F. Austin | Stephen F. Austin | 48 | | |
| James Madison | James Madison | 63 | | | | | |
| James Madison | James Madison | 63 | | | | Arkansas–Little Rock | 80 |
| | | | | | | California | 73 |
| Oregon State | Oregon State | 85 | | | | | | California | 73 |
| New Mexico | New Mexico | 82 | | | | | |
| New Mexico | New Mexico | 82 | Oregon State | Oregon State | 62 | | |
| | | | California | California | 65 | | |
| California | California | 72 | California | California | 65 | | |
| Cal State Fullerton | Cal State Fullerton | 68 | | | | | |
| First Round | First Round | First Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt | 74 | | | | | | |
| Jacksonville | Jacksonville | 72 | | | | | | |
| Jacksonville | Jacksonville | 72 | Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt | 109 | | | |
| | | | Florida State | Florida State | 92 | | | |
| Florida State | Florida State | 107 | Florida State | Florida State | 92 | | | |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island | 92 | | | | | | |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island | 92 | | | | Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt | 88 |
| | | | | | | Southern Miss | Southern Miss | 95 |
| Saint Louis | Saint Louis | 76 | | | | | | | Southern Miss | Southern Miss | 95 |
| Saint Peter's | Saint Peter's | 60 | | | | | | |
| Saint Peter's | Saint Peter's | 60 | Saint Louis | Saint Louis | 78 | | | |
| | | | Southern Miss | Southern Miss | 83 | | | |
| Southern Miss | Southern Miss | 93 | Southern Miss | Southern Miss | 83 | | | |
| Mississippi | Mississippi | 75 | | | | | | |
| First Round | First Round | First Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| Nebraska | Nebraska | 78 | | | | | | |
| Marquette | Marquette | 76 | | | | | | |
| Marquette | Marquette | 76 | Nebraska | Nebraska | 78 | | | |
| | | | Arkansas | Arkansas | 71 | | | |
| Arkansas | Arkansas | 67 | Arkansas | Arkansas | 71 | | | |
| Arkansas State | Arkansas State | 64 | | | | | | |
| Arkansas State | Arkansas State | 64 | | | | Nebraska | Nebraska | 81 |
| | | | | | | Washington | Washington | 76 |
| Washington | Washington | 98 | | | | | | | Washington | Washington | 76 |
| Montana State | Montana State | 90 | | | | | | |
| Montana State | Montana State | 90 | Washington | Washington | 73 | | | |
| | | | Boise State | Boise State | 68 | | | |
| Boise State | Boise State | 62 | Boise State | Boise State | 68 | | | |
| Utah | Utah | 61 | | | | | | |

### Semifinals & finals

| Semifinals (March 24) | Semifinals (March 24) | Semifinals (March 24) | Finals (March 26) | Finals (March 26) | Finals (March 26) |
| La Salle | La Salle | 92 | | | |
| Arkansas–Little Rock | Arkansas–Little Rock | 73 | | | |
| Arkansas–Little Rock | Arkansas–Little Rock | 73 | La Salle | La Salle | 80 |
| | | | Southern Miss | Southern Miss | 84 |
| Southern Miss | Southern Miss | 82 | Southern Miss | Southern Miss | 84 |
| Nebraska | Nebraska | 75 | | | |
| Third place game | Third place game | Third place game |
| Arkansas–Little Rock | Arkansas–Little Rock | 67 |
| Nebraska | Nebraska | 76 |