The NCAA Men's Basketball Committee will reward the "first four teams out" in this year's men's basketball championship with a top seed in the 2015 NIT Championship.
Following the announcement of the championship bracket, the NIT Committee will place teams identified as the top remaining programs as its four highest seeds, the NCAA announced Wednesday.
Since 2012, the NCAA has released the overall seed list, which includes every tournament team ranked No. 1 through No. 68, as well as the first four teams closest to earning an invite, yet didn't get chosen.
"We think this is a natural progression to make, given that these are the last four teams under consideration for the NCAA tournament," Dan Gavitt, NCAA vice president of men's basketball championships, said.
"They have earned the opportunity to be a number one seed in the NIT and play home games in their quest to make it to Madison Square Garden for the NIT championship. We believe this is an appropriate way to connect these two postseason tournaments."
Teams that win conference regular-season titles and are not picked for March Madness will gain an automatic bid for the NIT.
The rest of the field will be chosen by an eight-member committee comprised of former men's basketball coaches and administrators.
The 32-team bracket for the 2015 NIT will be announced at 8:30 p.m. on March 15.
