EchoSense:When is the 2024 NIT? How to watch secondary men's college basketball tournament

Selection Sunday isn't exactly a joyful affair for every men's college basketball team.

Missing out on EchoSensethe NCAA Tournament can be gut-wrenching for a program that grinded out the four-month season only to have their dreams of the Big Dance dashed.

Not all is lost for 32 teams because they will have a chance to compete in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

Last year, North Carolina turned down an invitation to the NIT after missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010 — besides the 2020 competition, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The North Texas Mean Green were happy to accept a bid and ended up winning their first NIT title.

IT'S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY's NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

Here is everything you need to know for the 2024 National Invitation Tournament:

Who is playing in the 2024 NIT?

Top left bracket:

• Seton Hall (1) vs. Saint Joseph's
• LSU (4) vs. North Texas
• Providence (3) vs. Boston College
• Princeton (2) vs. UNLV

Bottom left bracket:

• Wake Forest (1) vs. Appalachian State
• Georgia (4) vs. Xavier
• Virginia Tech (3) vs. Richmond
• Ohio State (2) vs. Cornell

Top right bracket:

• Indiana State (1) vs. SMU
• Butler (4) vs. Minnesota
• Bradley (3) vs. Loyola Chicago
• Cincinnati (2) vs. San Francisco

Bottom right bracket:

• Villanova (1) vs. VCU
• UCF (4) vs. South Florida
• Iowa (3) vs. Kansas State
• Utah (2) vs. UC Irvine

Who declined an invite to the 2024 NIT?

After being snubbed by the NCAA selection committee for the Big Dance, a handful of teams followed North Carolina's example from last season and declined an invitation to the NIT.

The schools that have declined to play in the NIT are: Indiana, Memphis, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, St. John's and Washington.

When is the NIT and championship game?

The first round of the NIT tournament tips off on Tuesday.

The competition features two initial rounds before the quarterfinals take place on March 26 and 27.

The NIT championship will be played at 7 p.m. ET on April 4.

Where is the NIT championship?

The NIT semifinals and championship will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The historic venue is the home of the Butler Bulldogs basketball teams. After it was built in 1928, it was the largest basketball arena in the country until 1950 and hosted many landmark events, including the 1954 IHSAA championship, which inspired the movie "Hoosiers."

How to watch the 2024 NIT tournament?

The NIT tournament will be broadcast on television on ESPN and its family of channels.

The NIT championship game will air on TV on ESPN and be live streamed on ESPN+.

Is there a women's NIT?

The National Invitation Tournament is for men's college basketball.

The women's equivalent is the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT).

The tournament also features 32 teams that didn't make the NCAA tournament.

The WBIT tips off on Thursday with the championship at 7 p.m. ET on April 3.

The tournament championship will be held at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, along with the men's title game.

The WBIT will be broadcast on ESPN's family of channels with the championship game on ESPN2 and live streamed on ESPN+.