Go West: NCAA Moving NIT Final Four From New York To Las Vegas, Indianapolis
Friday, August 12, 2022 at 10:54AM NYSJ Sports-Entertainment Business News Service
August 12, 2022: The NCAA said its NIT semi-finals and championship are moving out of New York’s Madison Square Garden, where they have been played every season but one since 1938, to Las Vegas' Orleans Arena in 2023 and Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in 2024.
The two host cities were selected after a nationwide bid process in the spring.
Hosted by UNLV, the 2023 semi-finals and championship game will be played March 28 and 30 at Orleans Arena.
In 2024, Butler will serve as host with games played at Hinkle Fieldhouse, April 2 and 4.
The NIT, which was not played in 2020 due to COVID-19, was held in a Dallas-Fort Worth “bubble” in 2021, also due to COVID-19 concerns.
New York hosted the entire NIT until 1977, when campuses began hosting early-round games and Madison Square Garden became the host only for the semi-finals and finals.
The NCAA said campus sites would continue to host First- and Second-Round games and the quarterfinals in 2023 and 2024.
The 2023 championship will be the 86th NIT.
Selections, pairings and the bracket will be unveiled March 12, with games scheduled to begin March 14.