The second round of the 2026 NIT continued on Sunday with six games on the slate. While No. 1 seeds Auburn and New Mexico were able to take care of business to advance to the quarterfinals, fellow No. 1 seed Wake Forest wasn’t so lucky.

The Demon Deacons lost to No. 4 seed Illinois State 78-75 after Johnny Kinziger knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds remaining. 

Illinois State will face No. 2 seed Dayton in the quarterfinals next week. 

Dayton defeated UNC Wilmington 80-61 on Saturday to advance behind 20 points from guard De’Shayne Montgomery.

In the Auburn Region, No. 2 seed Nevada defeated Liberty 73-63 behind 15 points from Elijah Price. No. 1 seed Auburn defeated Seattle U 91-85 after Kevin Overton scored 23 points. Nevada will face Auburn next.

Only four power conference teams are competing in the NIT this year: Auburn, Cal, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State. Multiple programs — such as Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Belmont and San Diego State — declined an invitation to the NIT after missing out on the NCAA Tournament. All four of those high-major teams are still in contention to win the NIT title.

Here is a look at the full bracket.

2026 NIT schedule 

Games in the first three rounds to be played at the higher-seeded team’s home arena. All times ET

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, March 24 — Quarterfinals 

• No. 1 Tulsa vs. No. 3 Wichita State, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
• No. 1 New Mexico vs. Saint Joseph’s, 9 p.m. | ESPN2

Wednesday, March 25 — Quarterfinals

• No. 2 Dayton vs. No. 4 Illinois State, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
• No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Nevada, 9 p.m. | ESPN2

Semifinals

Thursday, April 2

• Hinkle Fieldhouse, 7 p.m. | ESPN
• Hinkle Fieldhouse, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN

Championship

Sunday, April 5

• Gainbridge Fieldhouse |  8 p.m. | ESPN2

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Auburn Region

FIRST ROUND

No. 1 Auburn 78, South Alabama 67 | Recap
No. 2  Nevada 89, Murray State 75 | Recap
Liberty 77, No. 3 George Mason 71 | Recap
No. 4 Seattle U 67, St. Thomas (MN) 52 | Recap

SECOND ROUND

No. 1 Auburn 91, No. 4 Seattle U 85 | Recap
No. 2 Nevada 73, Liberty 63 | Recap

Albuquerque Region

FIRST ROUND

No. 1 New Mexico 107, Sam Houston 83 | Recap
No. 2  Cal 91, UIC 73 | Recap
No. 3 Colorado State vs. Saint Joseph’s | Recap
George Washington 79, No. 4 Utah Valley 78 | Recap

SECOND ROUND

No. 1 New Mexico 86, George Washington 61 | Recap
Saint Joseph’s 76, No. 2 Cal 75 | Recap

Winston-Salem Region

FIRST ROUND

No. 1 Wake Forest 82, Navy 72 | Recap
No. 2 Dayton 80, Bradley 66 | Recap
UNCW 68, No. 3 Yale 67 | Recap
No. 4 Illinois State vs. Kent State | Recap

SECOND ROUND

No. 4 Illinois State 78, No. 1 Wake Forest 75 | Recap
No. 2 Dayton 80, UNC-Wilmington 61 | Recap

Tulsa Region

FIRST ROUND

No. 1 Tulsa 89, Stephen F. Austin 84 (OT) | Recap
No. 2 Oklahoma State 84, Davidson 80 | Recap
No. 3 Wichita State 74, Wyoming 70 | Recap
UNLV 75, No. 4 UC Irvine 72 | Recap

SECOND ROUND

No. 1 Tulsa 77, UNLV 66 | Recap
No. 3 Wichita State 96, No. 2 Oklahoma State 70 | Recap