Courtesy Navy Athletics Communications

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Navy men's basketball team has been selected to compete in the National Invitation Tournament, the NIT announced today.  It will be Navy's first postseason tournament appearance since 1998 and mark just the second time (1962) it will play in the NIT.

"We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to compete in the NIT and represent the United States Naval Academy in a national postseason tournament," said Navy head coach Jon Perry, who was named the 2026 Patriot League Coach of the Year.  "Our players have worked incredibly hard and take great pride in representing the USNA, our program and our country.  We are thankful for the chance to continue playing as a team."

Navy's first-round date, opponent and site will be announced along with the bracket for the entire 32-team field Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. ET on X, formerly know as Twitter, and Instagram.

First round (March 17-18), second round (March 21-22) and quarterfinal round (March 24-25) games will be played at campus sites.  The four remaining teams will travel to Indianapolis for the semifinals (April 2, Hinkle Fieldhouse) and final (April 5, Gainbridge Fieldhouse), which will be held around the games for the NCAA Tournament's Final Four.

Navy enters its 13th postseason tournament with an overall record of 26-7 and as the Patriot League's regular season champion after it posted a 17-1 record in league play.

Navy's 1962 trip to the 12-team NIT saw it lose a 70-58 decision to Duquesne in a game played at Madison Square Garden in New York.  

The NIT dates back to 1938, making it one year older than the NCAA Tournament.

The Mids become the seventh team to compete in the NIT as a member of the Patriot League and the first since Bucknell in 2016.

Navy's NIT Result
1962 - Duquesne 70, Navy 58

Patriot League NIT Results
1991 - Fordham def. South Florida, 76-66 (first round), Massachusetts def. Fordham, 78-74 (second round)
2005 - Holy Cross def. Notre Dame, 78-73 (first round), Saint Joseph's def. Holy Cross, 68-60 (second round)
2012 - Bucknell def. Arizona, 65-54 (first round), Nevada def. Bucknell, 75-67 (second round)
2014 - Illinois def. Boston, 66-62 (first round)
2015 - Temple def. Bucknell, 73-67 (first round)
2016 - Monmouth def. Bucknell, 90-80 (first round