NIT BRACKET

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – UC Irvine has been selected to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) and will host UNLV on Tuesday Mar. 17 for a first round game at 8:00 p.m. at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters are the No. 4 seed in the Tulsa Region of the 32-team tournament.
 
The game will be televised on ESPNU. Tickets will go on sale on Monday Mar. 16. 

UC Irvine makes their fourth consecutive postseason appearance in the NIT. The Anteaters went 4-1 in last year's event, advancing to the championship game where they fell to Chattanooga, 85-84 in overtime.

The Anteaters (23-11, 15-5) earned their 10th regular season Big West title and third in the last four years. UCI will be making its 10^th postseason appearance under head coach Russell Turner.

UNLV is 17-16 overall, coming off a 80-60 loss to Utah State in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Championship. The Anteaters are 9-32 all-time versus the former Big West member Runnin' Rebels. In the last meeting, UNLV beat UCI 85-57 on Nov. 28, 2012. 

Following second round and quarterfinals, four teams will advance to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the semifinals. The NIT semifinals will kick off the Final Four weekend on April 2. The NIT championship will be played April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.