# 2015 National Invitation Tournament

The 2015 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams that were not selected to participate in the 2015 NCAA tournament. The annual tournament is being played on campus sites for the first three rounds, with the Final Four and championship game being held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The tournament began on Tuesday, March 17 and ended on Thursday, April 2. On February 6, the NCAA announced the 2015 NIT will use a 30-second shot clock (same as its WNIT counterpart) and a 4-foot (1.2 m) restricted-area arc as experimental rules for the 2015 tournament. On March 4, the NCAA announced teams that are marked as the first four teams left out of the 2015 NCAA tournament field will be the top-seeded teams in the 2015 NIT.

## Participants
### Automatic qualifiers

The following teams earned automatic berths into the 2015 NIT field by virtue of having won their respective conference's regular season championship but failing to win their conference tournaments or receive an at-large NCAA bid.
| Team | Conference | Record | Appearance | Last bid |
| Bucknell | Patriot | 19–14 | 2nd | 2012 |
| Central Michigan | Mid-American | 23–8 | 2nd | 1979 |
| Charleston Southern | Big South | 19–11 | 2nd | 2013 |
| Iona | MAAC | 26–8 | 6th | 2014 |
| Louisiana Tech | C-USA | 25–8 | 9th | 2014 |
| Montana | Big Sky | 20–12 | 4th | 1995 |
| Murray State | Ohio Valley | 27–5 | 8th | 2011 |
| North Carolina Central | MEAC | 25–7 | 1st | Never |
| South Dakota State | Summit | 23–10 | 1st | Never |
| St. Francis Brooklyn | Northeast | 23–11 | 4th | 1963 |
| UC Davis | Big West | 25–6 | 1st | Never |
| William & Mary | Colonial | 20–12 | 3rd | 2010 |

### At-large bids

The following 20 teams were also awarded NIT berths.
| Team | Conference | Record | Appearance | Last bid |
| Alabama | SEC | 18–14 | 13th | 2013 |
| Arizona State | Pac-12 | 17–15 | 13th | 2013 |
| Colorado State | Mountain West | 27–6 | 8th | 2011 |
| George Washington | Atlantic 10 | 21–12 | 5th | 2004 |
| Green Bay | Horizon | 24–8 | 4th | 2014 |
| Illinois | Big Ten | 19–13 | 6th | 2014 |
| Illinois State | Missouri Valley | 21–12 | 13th | 2012 |
| Miami (FL) | ACC | 21–12 | 11th | 2012 |
| Old Dominion | C-USA | 24–7 | 11th | 2006 |
| Pittsburgh | ACC | 19–14 | 9th | 2001 |
| Rhode Island | Atlantic 10 | 22–9 | 15th | 2010 |
| Richmond | Atlantic 10 | 19–13 | 8th | 2008 |
| Saint Mary's | West Coast | 21–9 | 4th | 2014 |
| Stanford | Pac-12 | 19–13 | 8th | 2013 |
| Temple | American | 23–10 | 17th | 2006 |
| Texas A&M | SEC | 20–11 | 7th | 2005 |
| Tulsa | American | 22–10 | 10th | 2010 |
| UConn | American | 20–14 | 13th | 2010 |
| UTEP | C-USA | 22–10 | 10th | 2011 |
| Vanderbilt | SEC | 19–13 | 12th | 2006 |

### Seeds

Old Dominion bracket :
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type |
| 1 | Old Dominion | C-USA | 24–7 | At-large |
| 2 | Tulsa | American | 22–10 | At-large |
| 3 | Murray State | Ohio Valley | 27–5 | Automatic |
| 4 | Illinois State | Missouri Valley | 21–12 | At-large |
| 5 | Green Bay | Horizon | 24–8 | At-large |
| 6 | UTEP | C-USA | 22–10 | At-large |
| 7 | William & Mary | Colonial | 20–12 | Automatic |
| 8 | Charleston Southern | Big South | 19–11 | Automatic |
Richmond bracket :
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type |
| 1 | Richmond | Atlantic 10 | 19–13 | At-large |
| 2 | Miami (FL) | ACC | 21–12 | At-large |
| 3 | Illinois | Big Ten | 19–13 | At-large |
| 4 | UConn | American | 20–14 | At-large |
| 5 | Arizona State | Pac-12 | 17–15 | At-large |
| 6 | Alabama | SEC | 18–14 | At-large |
| 7 | North Carolina Central | MEAC | 25–7 | Automatic |
| 8 | St. Francis Brooklyn | Northeast | 23–11 | Automatic |
Temple bracket :
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type |
| 1 | Temple | American | 23–10 | At-large |
| 2 | Texas A&M | SEC | 20–11 | At-large |
| 3 | Louisiana Tech | C-USA | 25–8 | Automatic |
| 4 | Pittsburgh | ACC | 19–14 | At-large |
| 5 | George Washington | Atlantic 10 | 21–12 | At-large |
| 6 | Central Michigan | MAC | 23–8 | Automatic |
| 7 | Montana | Big Sky | 20–12 | Automatic |
| 8 | Bucknell | Patriot | 19–14 | Automatic |
Colorado State bracket :
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type |
| 1 | Colorado State | Mountain West | 27–6 | At-large |
| 2 | Stanford | Pac-12 | 19–13 | At-large |
| 3 | Rhode Island | Atlantic 10 | 22–9 | At-large |
| 4 | Saint Mary's | West Coast | 21–9 | At-large |
| 5 | Vanderbilt | SEC | 19–13 | At-large |
| 6 | Iona | MAAC | 26–8 | Automatic |
| 7 | UC Davis | Big West | 25–6 | Automatic |
| 8 | South Dakota State | Summit | 23–10 | Automatic |

## Schedule

| Date | Time* | Matchup | Television | Score | Attendance |
| First round ||||||
| March 17 | 7:00 pm | #5 George Washington at #4 Pittsburgh | ESPN | 60–54 | 3,049 |
| March 17 | 7:00 pm | #7 N.C. Central at #2 Miami (FL) | ESPN2 | 71–75 | 1,612 |
| March 17 | 7:00 pm | #6 Iona at #3 Rhode Island | ESPNU | 75–88 | 2,638 |
| March 17 | 7:30 pm | #6 Central Michigan at #3 Louisiana Tech | ESPN3 | 79–89 | 6,904 |
| March 17 | 8:15 pm | #7 William & Mary at #2 Tulsa | ESPN3 | 67–70 | 2,547 |
| March 17 | 9:00 pm | #6 UTEP at #3 Murray State | ESPN2 | 66–81 | 3,376 |
| March 17 | 9:00 pm | #7 Montana at #2 Texas A&M | ESPNU | 64–81 | 2,583 |
| March 17 | 9:00 pm | #3 Illinois at #6 Alabama | ESPN | 58–79 | 2,348 |
| March 17 | 11:00 pm | #7 UC Davis at #2 Stanford | ESPN2 | 64–77 | 1,436 |
| March 18 | 7:00 pm | #8 Bucknell at #1 Temple | ESPN3 | 67–73 | 3,882 |
| March 18 | 7:00 pm | #5 Arizona State at #4 UConn | ESPN2 | 68–61 | 6,045 |
| March 18 | 7:15 pm | #8 Charleston Southern at #1 Old Dominion | ESPN3 | 56–65 | 4,736 |
| March 18 | 7:30 pm | #8 St. Francis Brooklyn at #1 Richmond | ESPN3 | 74–84 | 3,624 |
| March 18 | 8:00 pm | #5 Green Bay at #4 Illinois State | ESPNU | 56–69 | 4,942 |
| March 18 | 9:00 pm | #5 Vanderbilt at #4 Saint Mary's | ESPN2 | 75–64 | 1,322 |
| March 18 | 10:00 pm | #8 South Dakota State at #1 Colorado State | ESPNU | 86–76 | 3,391 |
| Second round ||||||
| March 20 | 9:30 pm | #8 South Dakota State at #5 Vanderbilt | ESPNU | 77–92 | 5,605 |
| March 21 | 11:00 am | #6 Alabama @ #2 Miami (FL) | ESPN | 66–73 | 1,979 |
| March 22 | 11:00 am | #5 George Washington @ #1 Temple | ESPN | 77–90 | 3,404 |
| March 22 | 7:30 pm | #5 Arizona State @ #1 Richmond | ESPNU | 70–76 | 4,507 |
| March 22 | 9:30 pm | #3 Rhode Island @ #2 Stanford | ESPNU | 65–74 | 1,235 |
| March 23 | 7:00 pm | #3 Louisiana Tech @ #2 Texas A&M | ESPN | 84–72 | 3,859 |
| March 23 | 8:00 pm | #4 Illinois State @ #1 Old Dominion | ESPNU | 49–50 | 5,923 |
| March 23 | 9:00 pm | #3 Murray State @ #2 Tulsa | ESPN | 83–62 | 3,440 |
| Quarterfinals ||||||
| March 24 | 7:00 pm | #2 Miami (FL) @ #1 Richmond | ESPN | 63–61 | 6,126 |
| March 24 | 9:00 pm | #5 Vanderbilt @ #2 Stanford | ESPN | 75–78 | 1,546 |
| March 25 | 9:00 pm | #3 Louisiana Tech @ #1 Temple | ESPN2 | 59–77 | 3,906 |
| March 25 | 7:00 pm | #3 Murray State @ #1 Old Dominion | ESPN2 | 69–72 | 8,161 |
| Semifinals ||||||
| March 31 | 7:00 pm | #1Temple vs. #2 Miami (FL) | ESPN | 57–60 | 7,185 |
| March 31 | 9:00 pm | #2 Stanford vs. #1 Old Dominion | ESPN | 67–60 | 7,185 |
| Championship game ||||||
| April 2 | 9:00 pm | #2 Stanford vs. #2 Miami (FL) | ESPN | 66–64 (OT) | 6,600 |
*Game times in Eastern Time. #Rankings denote tournament seeding.

## Bracket

The following teams were listed as the "First Four Out" of the NCAA tournament and received #1 seeds: Old Dominion, Richmond, Temple, Colorado State.
| First round March 17–18 | First round March 17–18 | First round March 17–18 | Second round March 23 | Second round March 23 | Second round March 23 | Quarterfinals March 25 | Quarterfinals March 25 | Quarterfinals March 25 |
| 1 | Old Dominion | 65 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Charleston Southern | 56 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Charleston Southern | 56 | 1 | Old Dominion | 50 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Illinois State | 49 | | | |
| 4 | Illinois State | 69 | 4 | Illinois State | 49 | | | |
| 5 | Green Bay | 56 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Green Bay | 56 | | | | 1 | Old Dominion | 72 |
| | | | | | | 3 | Murray State | 69 |
| 2 | Tulsa | 70 | | | | | | | 3 | Murray State | 69 |
| 7 | William & Mary | 67 | | | | | | |
| 7 | William & Mary | 67 | 2 | Tulsa | 62 | | | |
| | | | 3 | Murray State | 83 | | | |
| 3 | Murray State | 81 | 3 | Murray State | 83 | | | |
| 6 | UTEP | 66 | | | | | | |
| First round March 17–18 | First round March 17–18 | First round March 17–18 | Second round March 21–22 | Second round March 21–22 | Second round March 21–22 | Quarterfinals March 24 | Quarterfinals March 24 | Quarterfinals March 24 |
| 1 | Richmond | 84 | | | | | | |
| 8 | St. Francis Brooklyn | 74 | | | | | | |
| 8 | St. Francis Brooklyn | 74 | 1 | Richmond | 76 | | | |
| | | | 5 | Arizona State | 70 | | | |
| 4 | UConn | 61 | 5 | Arizona State | 70 | | | |
| 5 | Arizona State | 68 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Arizona State | 68 | | | | 1 | Richmond | 61 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Miami (FL) | 63 |
| 2 | Miami (FL) | 75 | | | | | | | 2 | Miami (FL) | 63 |
| 7 | North Carolina Central | 71 | | | | | | |
| 7 | North Carolina Central | 71 | 2 | Miami (FL) | 73 | | | |
| | | | 6 | Alabama | 66 | | | |
| 3 | Illinois^ | 58 | 6 | Alabama | 66 | | | |
| 6 | Alabama | 79 | | | | | | |
#3 Illinois played at #6 Alabama due to State Farm Center renovations.
| First round March 17–18 | First round March 17–18 | First round March 17–18 | Second round March 22–23 | Second round March 22–23 | Second round March 22–23 | Quarterfinals March 25 | Quarterfinals March 25 | Quarterfinals March 25 |
| 1 | Temple | 73 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Bucknell | 67 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Bucknell | 67 | 1 | Temple | 90 | | | |
| | | | 5 | George Washington | 77 | | | |
| 4 | Pittsburgh | 54 | 5 | George Washington | 77 | | | |
| 5 | George Washington | 60 | | | | | | |
| 5 | George Washington | 60 | | | | 1 | Temple | 77 |
| | | | | | | 3 | Louisiana Tech | 59 |
| 2 | Texas A&M | 81 | | | | | | | 3 | Louisiana Tech | 59 |
| 7 | Montana | 64 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Montana | 64 | 2 | Texas A&M | 72 | | | |
| | | | 3 | Louisiana Tech | 84 | | | |
| 3 | Louisiana Tech | 89 | 3 | Louisiana Tech | 84 | | | |
| 6 | Central Michigan | 79 | | | | | | |
| First round March 17–18 | First round March 17–18 | First round March 17–18 | Second round March 20–22 | Second round March 20–22 | Second round March 20–22 | Quarterfinals March 24 | Quarterfinals March 24 | Quarterfinals March 24 |
| 1 | Colorado State | 76 | | | | | | |
| 8 | South Dakota State | 86 | | | | | | |
| 8 | South Dakota State | 86 | 8 | South Dakota State | 77 | | | |
| | | | 5 | Vanderbilt | 92 | | | |
| 4 | Saint Mary's | 64 | 5 | Vanderbilt | 92 | | | |
| 5 | Vanderbilt | 75 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Vanderbilt | 75 | | | | 5 | Vanderbilt | 75 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Stanford | 78 |
| 2 | Stanford | 77 | | | | | | | 2 | Stanford | 78 |
| 7 | UC Davis | 64 | | | | | | |
| 7 | UC Davis | 64 | 2 | Stanford | 74 | | | |
| | | | 3 | Rhode Island | 65 | | | |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 88 | 3 | Rhode Island | 65 | | | |
| 6 | Iona | 75 | | | | | | |
| Semifinals March 31 | Semifinals March 31 | Semifinals March 31 | Final April 2 | Final April 2 | Final April 2 |
| 1 | Temple | 57 | | | |
| 2 | Miami (FL) | 60 | | | |
| 2 | Miami (FL) | 60 | 2 | Miami (FL) | 64 |
| | | | 2 | Stanford | 66* |
| 2 | Stanford | 67 | 2 | Stanford | 66* |
| 1 | Old Dominion | 60 | | | |
* Denotes overtime period

## Media

ESPN, Inc. has exclusive television rights to all NIT games. It will telecast every game across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3. Since 2011, Westwood One has held exclusive radio rights to the semifinals and championship. In 2015, Dave Ryan and Kelly Tripucka called these games for Westwood One.