Peoria, IL --- The Bradley Braves will see their 2025-26 season continue in the 2026 National Invitation Tournament.
Two of the NIT's most storied programs will meet with the Bradley Braves 21-12 (13-7) taking on the Dayton Flyers 23-11 (12-6) of the Atlantic-10 Conference in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament! The two programs have combined for 54 NIT appearances and seven NIT Championships.
Bradley's path to the NIT
Bradley qualified for the 2026 National Invitation Tournament by earning an at-large bid, which is awarded to teams whose resume and body of work over the course of the season deem them worthy of consideration by the selection committee. Bradley finished the regular season second in the Missouri Valley Conference, with four top-100 wins over Belmont, Liberty, Illinois State, and Northern Iowa. This season the MVC finished as the ninth-highest rated conference in the country, just behind the West Coast Conference, which earned multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that Bradley has qualified for the NIT, a feat the program has not accomplished since appearing four straight times in 1957, 1958, 1959, and 1960. Over the past three seasons, the Braves have played Wisconsin in 2023; Loyola Chicago and Cincinnati in 2024; North Alabama, George Mason, and Chattanooga in 2025. Overall, this will be Bradley's 25th NIT appearance, which ranks top-three all-time in tournament history. Bradley is 29-21 all-time in the NIT and holds the most titles of any school in the 2026 field with four championships in 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1982.
The Bradley Braves
Bradley enters the 2026 NIT with an overall record of 21-12 after finishing second in the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and reaching the semifinals of the MVC Tournament. As a team, the Braves boast the nation's seventh-best turnover margin at +4.2 per game and ranked in the top five in the MVC in scoring offense, scoring margin, three-point percentage, assist-to-turnover ratio, turnover margin, and steals. The Braves have a balanced attack spear-headed by Jaquan Johnson, the runner-up for the 2026 Larry Bird Trophy. Johnson is currently averaging 17.1 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game, 3.6 assists per game and 2.5 steals per game.
The Dayton Flyers
Dayton is 23-11 on the season with a 12-6 mark in Atlantic-10 play, the Flyers ended the regular season 4th in the A-10 standings. The Flyers advanced to the championship game of the 2026 A-10 tourney, falling to VCU 70-62. On their way to the title game, the Flyers defeated top seeded Saint Louis in the semifinals. In the non-conference portion of their schedule, Dayton earned wins over Marquette, Georgetown, and Florida State. The Flyers are led by three double digit scorers in Javon Bennet, De'Shayne Montgomery, and Amaël L'Etang all scoring north of 12 points per game. Coaching the Flyers is Anthony Grant who is in his 8th season at the helm, Grant has coached Dayton to their 5th straight 20 win season and second straight NIT berth.
Ticket Details
Season ticket holders can purchase their specific seats through 12:00 p.m. CST on Tuesday, March 17 digitally via their Bradley Ticketmaster Account Manager or through the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office. Ticket invoices will be available in Account Manager by 10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 16. Reservations will be automatically released to the general public at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday if not purchased.
General Public Tickets
Tickets will be available for purchase at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 16 for $27 per ticket
Bradley Athletics Ticket Office
The Ticket office wil operate at regular hours (10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) to assist with ticker requests and answers any questions
NIT Full Release & Bracket
Full Release
Full Bracket
