Belmont announces they will not accept an NIT invitation. The CBI announces it won't hold a tournament this year. (The CIT previously folded). So the only two tournaments left outside the NCAA are the NIT and the Crown Tournament (held all in Las Vegas, run by Fox, and predominately inviting teams from conferences that have Fox TV contracts -- Big 10, Big East, Big 12). And players are PAID additional NIL money by Fox to play in the Crown Tournament, so you won't see teams refusing to play in that. Wonder how much longer the NIT will last? Last year 11 teams rejected invitations, mostly from major conferences. So far this year, VT and Belmont have. Probably will get to double digits again. For the NIT to survive, either ESPN will have to pony up like Fox has, and pay players NIL money for participating in the NIT. Or else individual teams that really want their players to play in the NIT will have to sign players to contracts stipulating that they will play. At which point the agents representing the players will ask for extra compensation if their players play in the NIT. Will schools (i.e. donors) decide to come up with that money? If the NIT doesn't find a way to pay the employees who participate, like the Crown does, it will fade away in a few years like the CBI. Folks, the above is exactly what all this is about. Money. Nothing else. Anyone framing this discussion in terms of loyalty, team spirit, school spirit, leadership, or some kind of moral principle is just pontificating or moralizing, and not addressing what's actually happening. College athletes are now paid employees and they negotiate the terms of their employment. If it is important to us that our teams play in the NIT, then we need to negotiate contracts with our players that stipulate that, which may require paying them extra to play in the NIT. Or else the NIT will have to start paying players like the Crown does.