NIT bracket 2017: Illinois State earns a 1 seed, while Valparaiso makes the cut

Brackets aren’t just for the NCAA Tournament.

Yes, the National Invitational Tournament is on this time of year too, and while the bracket only holds 32 spots, it is still a bracket and, thus, you should still be filling one out and bragging about your success doing so.

There will be bluebloods to root for! Thanks to the Big Ten’s disaster of a season, you can watch Indiana or Ohio State play! Mid-major darlings who fell short in their postseason are here too, like Belmont or Monmouth.

Then there’s 1 seed Illinois State, who ended up just outside the NCAA Tournament field, and Valparaiso who received an NIT at-large bid.

NIT bracket pools are not for the weak of heart. You’ll have to gauge how much these teams actually care about the tournament, as well as how good they are and how well they matchup. It’s tremendous fun.

You can get your printable NIT bracket here. Godspeed.