NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center

Following a one-year break in 2022-23 due to “high volume in other early season college basketball tournaments,” the NIT Season Tip-Off will return to the Barclays Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.) in November to kick off the 2023-24 collegiate basketball season. More information on the selected teams - Baylor, Pitt, Florida and Oregon State - are below.

Baylor finished last season with a 23-11 overall record and an 11-7 Big 12 record. However, the Bears suffered significant summer losses when key scorers Adam Flagler and Keyonte George declared themselves for the 2023 NBA Draft and LJ Cryer transferred to Houston. On the other hand, Baylor has gotten to work on the recruiting trail and has the nation's No. 5-ranked recruiting class coming in, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking.

Pitt also advanced to March Madness after an outstanding season under the leadership of coach Jeff Capel. The Panthers finished 24-12 overall and 14-6 in the ACC before losing in the conference tournament championship to Duke. They had a good year from star player Blake Hinson, who declared for the NBA Draft while still eligible, which means he might return to the Panthers in 2023-24.

Florida is coming off a year in which the Gators battled under Todd Golden. They finished 16-17 overall and 9-9 in SEC play, but they still qualified for the NIT. Golden and the Gators, on the other hand, have done significant work in the portal this offseason, notably landing former Iona guard Walker Clayton Jr. and former Marshall center Micah Handlogten. In total, Florida has four promises from the site.

Oregon State was one of the nation's youngest teams in 2022-23, and returns Pac-12 All-Freshman selection Jordan Pope, who led conference rookies in scoring with 12.6 points per game. Tyler Bilodeau, Michael Rataj, KC Ibekwe, Jayden Stevens, and Justin Rochelin will join Pope as incoming sophomores. Veterans Dexter Akanno, Christian Wright, and Chol Marial will all want to keep their spots in the Beaver rotation.

Catch these outstanding teams as they face each other in the ultimate tournament this year! Florida will go against Pitt followed by Oregon State versus Baylor for the semifinals event. Tickets are available here, so go on and secure yours before they sell out.