David Thompson , an All-American player from North Carolina State , called the NIT " a loser 's tournament " in 1975 . NC State , which had been the previous year 's NCAA champion , refused to play in the tournament that year , following the precedent set by ACC rival Maryland the previous season after losing the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game to the top-ranked Wolfpack . In succeeding years , other teams such as Oklahoma State , Louisville , Georgia Tech , Georgetown , and LSU have declined to play in the NIT when they did not make the NCAA tournament . One such team was Maryland ; after being rejected by the NCAA selection committee in 2006 , head coach Gary Williams announced that 19-11 Maryland would not go to the NIT , only to be told that the university had previously agreed to use Comcast Center as a venue for the NIT . The Terrapins were eliminated in the first round by the Manhattan College Jaspers . In 2008 , however , Williams announced that if invited , the Terps would play , because it would serve as a chance to further develop six freshman players on his squad and to give senior forward James Gist more exposure . At UCLA 's Pauley Pavilion , there are individual championship banners for all 11 NCAA titles , various other banners touting many other NCAA and other tournament championships for other sports , but no mention of UCLA 's 1985 NIT championship . However , during the recent remodeling of Pauley Pavilion a plaque was installed along the concourse of the building commemorating the Bruins 1985 NIT Championship . For other teams , however , the NIT is perceived as a step up in a program climbing from mediocrity or obscurity , and the response is more enthusiastic . For example , at the University of Tulsa , which won the NIT in 1981 and 2001 , the Golden Hurricane 's NIT " championship tradition " is viewed with pride and as a " lure " for players to join the program . The University of Connecticut also regards the NIT as the beginning of its success . The NIT is also held in generally higher regard than the three newer tournaments that have debuted since 2008 ( the current College Basketball Invitational and CollegeInsider.com Tournament , plus the Vegas 16 , which folded after only one edition ) ; Saint Bonaventure , a school that has a policy of refusing to play in those newer tournaments , still accepts bids to the NIT if invited ( the school , tiny by Division I standards , is unwilling to spare the expense of participating in those lesser tournaments ) The NIT Season Tip-Off carries none of the postseason tournament 's stigma , and is one of many popular season-opening tournaments held every year around the country ( alongside events such as the Maui Invitational and the now-defunct Great Alaska Shootout )
championship game
1974 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
National Invitation Tournament