2021 NIT Tip-Off Bracket Revealed

BROOKLYN (July 15, 2021) – ESPN Events has unveiled the tournament bracket for the NIT Season Tip-Off, taking place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Wednesday, Nov. 24, and Friday, Nov. 26. On Wednesday, the Iowa State Cyclones will meet the Xavier Musketeers at 7p.m. ET on ESPNU, followed by a matchup between the Memphis Tigers and Virginia Tech Hokies at 9:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN2.

The Friday third-place game will air at 7p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPNEWS, with the championship matchup to follow on ESPN2.

  • Head Coach Penny Hardaway led his alma mater Memphis to the 2021 NIT Championship and his third consecutive 20-win season. Hardaway was a 14-year NBA veteran, four-time All-Star and spent two seasons with the New York Knicks.  Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Larry Brown will also serve as an Assistant Coach for the Tigers.
  • Virginia Tech comes off an NCAA Tournament berth, their fourth consecutive tournament appearance (2017-19, 2021). Head Coach Mike Young will lead a team ranked No. 16 in ESPN’s latest “Way-Too-Early Top 25” with its top-four scorers returning.
  • Xavier is led by Head Coach Travis Steele and returns its top seven scorers, including a pair of All-BIGEAST Second Team selections in senior Paul Scruggs and junior Zach Freemantle as well sophomore Colby Jones, a BIG EAST All-Freshman team selection.
  • In his first year, Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger will lead Iowa State, who made the NCAA Tournament both in 2019 and for six consecutive years from 2012-17. The team will welcome top recruit Tyrese Hunter, ranked No. 37 overall and the No. 7 point guard in the country by ESPN.

In addition, ESPN’s 2022 NCAA Tournament Bracketology included Xavier (No. 7 seed), Memphis (No. 8 seed) and Virginia Tech (No. 9 seed) in the bracket projections.

Tickets for the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center start at $29 per day and are on-sale now. Tickets can be purchased online through Ticketmaster or BarclaysCenter.com, or in-person at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Fans can receive $10 off on certain price levels by using the promo code “BROOKLYN” through Friday, July 16 at 10 p.m. ET.

The NIT Season Tip-Off has been played in New York City since 1985 and this fall marks the sixth year the tournament will be held at Barclays Center. The 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19 and in 2019, Oklahoma State was crowned champion.

ESPN Events 
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of 34 collegiate sporting events nationwide. The roster includes five early-season college football games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and a college softball event, which accounts for approximately 400 hours of live programming, reaches nearly 64 million viewers and attracts over 800,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in more than 10 markets across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

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