This article answers a specific question: why were no Big Ten teams in the NIT during the season under review. It draws on official selection-policy announcements and documented team statements to explain what happened and why it matters. Readers will get a short answer, a step-by-step review of the rule changes, examples of team declinations, and a practical checklist for monitoring NIT composition in 2026. The focus is on verifiable sources and clear explanation rather than speculation.

A temporary 2024 policy and several documented bid declinations combined to produce the Big Ten absence from the NIT.

The NIT restored automatic bids in November 2024, changing selection mechanics for future seasons.

Always check official NIT or NCAA releases and team announcements before concluding why a conference is underrepresented.

Short answer: why the Big Ten had no teams in the NIT that year

The quick explanation is that the 2024 NIT field reflected a one-year selection policy change plus a number of power-conference programs choosing not to participate, and that combination left the Big Ten with no NIT entrants; this context matters for anyone watching postseason composition, including handicappers tracking conference outcomes, and it directly involved the 2024 NIT selection policy announced by the NCAA NCAA announcement on 2024 NIT policy.

Put simply, the NIT temporarily guaranteed spots to teams from six power conferences, which shifted at-large allocations, and several schools declined invitations when the field was set, including at least one Big Ten program that issued an official declination; the bracket released on March 17, 2024, reflected both the policy and those declinations NCAA coverage of the 2024 NIT field.

How the NIT selection process worked in 2024 and what changed afterward

Under the unusual 2024 arrangement, the NIT guaranteed two spots to each of six power conferences when those teams missed the NCAA tournament, a change that temporarily altered the traditional at-large pool and how slots were distributed NCAA announcement on 2024 NIT policy.

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That guarantee reduced the number of purely at-large openings available to the rest of the field, so the bracket dynamics for that season were different from a standard NIT selection year. The full bracket and schedule published on March 17, 2024, showed the result of applying that one-year guarantee in practice 2024 NIT bracket and schedule.

After the 2024 season and the responses it generated, the NIT adjusted the process again. In November 2024, the tournament organizers announced a return to automatic bids for 32 regular-season conference champions and removed the temporary power-conference guarantees, a framework that governs selections going forward into 2026 NIT policy change restoring automatic bids.

This reversal means that future NIT composition will lean more on automatic qualifiers plus a reconstituted at-large pool, changing the selection math that briefly produced the power-conference guarantees in 2024. For readers tracking NIT selection criteria 2026, that restored automatic-bid framework is the primary rule to watch.

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How team decisions and declinations affect conference representation

Team choices about whether to accept postseason invitations can directly change how many programs from a conference appear in the NIT, and reported declinations in 2024 are a clear example of that effect AP News report on 2024 declinations.

Declining an invitation is an institutional decision that schools may announce publicly, and those announcements remove eligible programs from the pool the selection committee can place into the bracket. In 2024 multiple power-conference programs declined, which reshaped the final field and conference counts CBS Sports recap of field and declinations.

Why were no Big Ten teams in the NIT that season?

A temporary 2024 NIT policy that guaranteed power-conference slots reshaped at-large allocations, and documented declinations by several power-conference schools, including Indiana, combined to leave the Big Ten without NIT participants; the NIT later restored automatic bids for regular-season champions, changing the selection framework for future seasons.

One concrete case was Indiana University, which formally announced that it declined an NIT invitation in March 2024; that public statement removed at least one Big Ten candidate from the field and confirmed declination as a decisive factor Indiana University official announcement.

Because declinations are binding choices by institutions, they can combine with selection policy quirks to leave a major conference without NIT representation even when it fields competitive teams. That interaction is essential to understand when readers see headlines about a Big Ten NIT snub.

Comparing NIT and NCAA selection steps that shape who gets postseason play

The NCAA tournament selections happen first, and the NIT selection process fills its bracket from the pool of teams left available after the NCAA field is set, so timing matters in determining who is eligible for each postseason event NCAA report on the NIT bracket timing.

Under the 2025-onwards rules, automatic bids for regular-season champions return and interact with at-large choices in predictable ways: an automatic qualifier occupies a slot that would otherwise be available for at-large selection, altering the math for the rest of the pool NIT automatic-bid announcement.

Verification checklist for official selection sources

Official NIT selection page
NCAA bracket announcement
Team announcement

Start with official releases

Bracket-day signals and policy updates are the two most important events to follow: the initial NCAA bracket release determines the first wave of who is no longer available, and the NIT policy statements or bracket release define how the remaining teams are placed.

Why a conference can end up with zero NIT teams: the concrete factors

Three concrete causes combine to produce a zero-representation outcome: NCAA selections pull teams into the primary tournament, the NIT at-large evaluations place only a subset of available teams, and individual schools decline invitations; that trio explains how even a major conference can vanish from an NIT bracket NCAA bracket context for selection effects.

In 2024 the temporary guarantee for power conferences reshuffled available at-large slots, and reported declinations removed eligible programs from consideration, which together helped produce the Big Ten situation that season AP News on power-conference declinations.

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checklist: When tracking why a conference is underrepresented, treat these three factors as a checklist: confirm NCAA selections, read the NIT selection-policy text for the season, and verify whether teams publicly accepted or declined invitations. Each step can remove or add slots to a conference's total.

Common misconceptions and pitfalls when reading NIT representation stories

Do not assume that a conference absence equals long-term decline. One-season policy oddities or coordinated institutional choices can produce a single-season anomaly that does not reflect broader conference strength.

Similarly, avoid attributing the result to one headline event without checking the selection mechanics and declination statements. Policy changes and acceptance decisions both matter more than simple reputation in these situations.

Practical timeline and what to watch for in 2026 selections

Watch three kinds of announcements: official NIT policy updates, the NCAA tournament field release, and team-level acceptance or declination statements. The NIT's November 2024 announcement restoring automatic bids is the baseline rule to monitor for 2026 selections NIT policy change announcement.

Bracket day is the clearest signal: once the NCAA bracket is finalized, the list of teams the NIT can consider becomes stable. After that point, check NIT bracket releases and team announcements for last-minute declinations that can still change conference totals.

For practical forecasting, incorporate the restored automatic-bid rule into any projections labeled NIT selection criteria 2026 and leave room for institutional decisions that do not follow a predictable pattern.

Minimalist 2D vector press conference scene with an empty podium microphones and blank statement sheet tightly framed against a deep backdrop suitable for oddsshark ncaa basketball

Verify selection-policy text on official sources, check reputable reporting for confirmation of declinations, and cite team announcements when available. The most reliable primary sources are official NCAA or NIT releases and direct team statements NCAA field coverage.

Use cautious phrasing when a conference is underrepresented: state the policy differences and any confirmed declinations, and avoid asserting motivations without direct statements from the institutions involved. Good templates include phrases like "the selection policy that year allocated slots differently" and "the school issued a public declination," which keep reporting factual and verifiable.

Wrap-up: the short, evidence-based takeaway

For accurate commentary in 2026, the 2024 absence of Big Ten teams from the NIT is best explained by a temporary one-year selection policy that guaranteed power-conference slots and by documented bid declinations, including an official declination by Indiana University, which together produced the outcome for that season NCAA announcement on 2024 policy.

The NIT changed its rules in November 2024 to restore automatic bids for regular-season champions, so future composition will depend on the restored mechanics plus whatever teams choose to accept or decline invitations. For accurate commentary in 2026, check official releases and team statements before drawing conclusions.

Why did Indiana decline an NIT invitation in 2024?

Indiana publicly announced it declined the 2024 NIT invitation; the team statement confirmed the decision without tying it to speculative motives.

Will the restored automatic bids prevent a repeat of this outcome?

Restoring automatic bids changes selection math and reduces the likelihood of similar anomalies, but acceptance decisions by individual schools can still affect representation.

Which sources should I check to verify NIT selections and declinations?

Start with official NCAA or NIT releases, then check team athletic department announcements and reputable reporting from established outlets.

The 2024 episode is a useful reminder that postseason fields reflect both formal selection mechanics and the real choices institutions make. With the reinstated automatic-bid system, watch official releases and team statements closely to understand future NIT composition. If you follow those sources, you can avoid overinterpreting a single-season anomaly and focus on factual causes when discussing postseason representation.