NIT Tournament 2026 Betting Preview: Predictions, Odds, & Best Bets

Auburn Tigers (+350)

Auburn is trying to make the best of a disappointing situation after getting snubbed from the NCAA Tournament. It wasn’t the biggest omission of all time, but Steven Pearl’s team felt it had done enough to earn an invite.

The turning point came in the SEC Tournament, where Auburn fell 72–62 to the No. 12 seed Tennessee Volunteers. That loss, combined with a season of inconsistency, ultimately kept the Tigers out. They played in one of the toughest conferences in the country and owned the nation’s 15th-ranked strength of schedule, but it still wasn’t enough to convince the committee.

Auburn finished 17-16 overall and 12th in the SEC. The league sent a nation-high 10 teams to the NCAA Tournament, some of which they’ve beaten, underscoring how close the Tigers were to the cut line.

In most seasons, two or three more wins probably would have sent them dancing. Instead, they now enter the NIT with what might be the most dangerous and well-balanced roster in the field.

AUBURN BEATS KENTUCKY 75-74 pic.twitter.com/Tds9O4TIiP

— The Barn (@TheBarn_Auburn) February 22, 2026

With Indiana, Oklahoma, and Florida State choosing not to participate, Auburn stands as the lone serious contender from a major conference. That’s a significant advantage, but only if the Tigers tighten up defensively. They rank 307th nationally in the NCAA in scoring defense, giving up 79.4 points per game.

Some of that can be attributed to life in the SEC, a conference loaded with offensive firepower. Auburn won’t face that same caliber of attack in the NIT.

Offensively, the Tigers are in a much better place: they averaged 82.7 points per game and finished 37th in offensive efficiency.

With Keyshawn Hall and Tahaad Pettiford leading the way, Auburn has the talent to make a deep run and realistically push for the Final Four. On paper, the rest of the field doesn’t quite match their overall ceiling.

New Mexico Lobos (+395)

After a 23-10 season in the Mountain West, the New Mexico Lobos entered their conference tournament knowing they had to win the championship to reach the NCAA Tournament. Their overall résumé wasn’t strong enough to earn an at-large bid, so the automatic berth was their only realistic path.

As the No. 3 seed, New Mexico’s run ended in the Mountain West semifinals, falling 64-62 to San Diego State. It was an up-and-down year for the Lobos, and against the Aztecs they simply ran out of gas and couldn’t buy a basket. This is a team that lives and dies by its offense.

When the offense stalls, New Mexico is in trouble because the defense usually can’t carry the load. On paper, the Lobos actually look better than Auburn defensively, allowing 71.6 points per game, which ranks 96th nationally.

However, the Mountain West isn’t known for high-powered offenses, so in context you could easily argue Auburn is the tougher defensive test.

Offensively, New Mexico averaged 80 points per game and ranked 68th in offensive efficiency. Those are solid numbers, but still a clear step behind Auburn, especially considering the Mountain West doesn’t feature many elite defensive teams.

Their strength of schedule came in at 84th nationally, which is respectable for that league, but the Lobos still aren’t as battle-tested as Auburn against top-tier competition.

UNM's freshman Jake Hall is just a really damn good offensive talent.

He's having a tremendous freshman season for New Mexico averaging 15 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG on 46%, 42.4% 3PT (7.1 3PA) 76.4% FT.

Awesome system that Eric Olen operates, Hall's been a major key to their… pic.twitter.com/qDQONWapFP

— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) January 27, 2026

Jake Hall will do everything he can to push New Mexico on a deep run in this tournament, and he’s capable of guiding them far. Their side of the bracket isn’t especially daunting, so a trip to the Final Four is realistic. But lifting the NIT trophy will be a challenge and is far from guaranteed.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+550)

Wake Forest heads to the NIT after what could be described as a disappointing season in the ACC. The Demon Deacons finished 13th with a record of 17-16. Despite the same record as Auburn, Wake Forest’s strength of schedule is only 56th in the nation.

When they faced tough competition in the conference, they failed to step up and get over the hump. Having said that, Wake Forest was competitive in a 85-84 loss to Michigan and an 84-83 final to Texas Tech earlier in the season. That was back in 2025, though, and a lot has changed since then.

Wake Forest has lost four of their last seven games, including a 71-62 loss to Clemson in the second round of the ACC Tournament. They needed overtime to knock off Virginia Tech to open tournament play, and the offense couldn’t hit a shot when it was needed the most against a mediocre Clemson team.

The Demon Deacons are lifeless defensively and consistently give up more than 70 points a game. That’s likely going to come back to hurt them in a tournament where there are a few teams who can get hot from the field. Overall, Wake Forest is 243rd in the nation, yielding an average of 77.1 points per game.

Mr. Everything ⭐

Juke Harris powered Wake Forest with 31 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the win over Cal. He added three assists in a dominant all-around performance.@WakeMBB | @DemonDeacons | #GoDeacs pic.twitter.com/9KMNu2Wn9K

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) March 8, 2026

The offense is good, but I don’t expect Juke Harris to power this team to a championship. Aside from Harris, they have too many inconsistent scoring threats that regularly go through funks. All in all, Wake Forest should go deep, but sputter in the end.