1987 National Invitation Tournament

{{Short description|Annual NCAA college basketball competition}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox college basketball tournament | Type = NIT

| Gender=

| Year=1987

| Image=

| ImageSize=

| Caption=

| Teams=32

| FinalFourArena=Madison Square Garden

| FinalFourCity=New York City

| Champions=Southern Miss Golden Eagles

| TitleCount=1st

| RunnerUp=La Salle Explorers

| GameCount=2nd

| Semifinal1=Nebraska Cornhuskers

| SemifinalCount=2nd

| Semifinal2=Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans

| SemifinalCount2=1st

| Coach=M. K. Turk

| CoachCount=1st

| MOP=Randolph Keys

| MOPTeam=Southern Miss

}}

The 1987 National Invitation Tournament was the 1987 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. The tournament began on Wednesday, March 11, and ended when the Southern Miss Golden Eagles defeated the La Salle Explorers in the NIT championship game on Thursday, March 26, at Madison Square Garden.

Selected teams

Below is a list of the 32 teams selected for the tournament.[https://www.ncaa.com/content/nit-postseason-history-1980s "NIT Results (1980's)."] www.ncaa.com. Retrieved February 9, 2016.

{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|

}}

=Louisville declines invitation=

Louisville turned down an invitation to the 1987 NIT, the first team in history to decline an NIT bid. No team would do so again until Georgetown in 2002.[http://dailyutahchronicle.com/2002/03/12/georgetown-declines-nit-bid/ Associated Press, "Georgetown Declines NIT Bid," The Daily Utah Chronicle, March 12, 2002.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203163313/http://dailyutahchronicle.com/2002/03/12/georgetown-declines-nit-bid/ |date=February 3, 2017 }}

Bracket

Below are the four first round brackets, along with the four-team championship bracket.

{{8TeamBracket |RD1=First Round |RD2=Second Round |RD3=Quarterfinals

| RD1-seed1=

| RD1-team1=Niagara

| RD1-score1=74

| RD1-seed2=

| RD1-team2=Seton Hall

| RD1-score2=65

| RD1-seed3=

| RD1-team3=La Salle

| RD1-score3=86

| RD1-seed4=

| RD1-team4=Villanova

| RD1-score4=84

| RD1-seed5=

| RD1-team5=Cleveland State

| RD1-score5=92

| RD1-seed6=

| RD1-team6=Chattanooga

| RD1-score6=73

| RD1-seed7=

| RD1-team7=Illinois State

| RD1-score7=79

| RD1-seed8=

| RD1-team8=Akron

| RD1-score8=72

| RD2-seed1=

| RD2-team1=Niagara

| RD2-score1=81

| RD2-seed2=

| RD2-team2=La Salle

| RD2-score2=89

| RD2-seed3=

| RD2-team3=Cleveland State

| RD2-score3=77

| RD2-seed4=

| RD2-team4=Illinois State

| RD2-score4=79

| RD3-seed1=

| RD3-team1=La Salle

| RD3-score1=70

| RD3-seed2=

| RD3-team2=Illinois State

| RD3-score2=50

}}

{{8TeamBracket |RD1=First Round |RD2=Second Round |RD3=Quarterfinals

| RD1-seed1=

| RD1-team1=Arkansas–Little Rock

| RD1-score1=42

| RD1-seed2=

| RD1-team2=Baylor

| RD1-score2=41

| RD1-seed3=

| RD1-team3=Stephen F. Austin

| RD1-score3=70

| RD1-seed4=

| RD1-team4=James Madison

| RD1-score4=63

| RD1-seed5=

| RD1-team5=Oregon State

| RD1-score5=85

| RD1-seed6=

| RD1-team6=New Mexico

| RD1-score6=82

| RD1-seed7=

| RD1-team7=California

| RD1-score7=72

| RD1-seed8=

| RD1-team8=Cal State Fullerton

| RD1-score8=68

| RD2-seed1=

| RD2-team1=Arkansas–Little Rock

| RD2-score1=54

| RD2-seed2=

| RD2-team2=Stephen F. Austin

| RD2-score2=48

| RD2-seed3=

| RD2-team3=Oregon State

| RD2-score3=62

| RD2-seed4=

| RD2-team4=California

| RD2-score4=65

| RD3-seed1= 

| RD3-team1=Arkansas–Little Rock

| RD3-score1=80

| RD3-seed2=

| RD3-team2=California

| RD3-score2=73

}}

{{8TeamBracket |RD1=First Round |RD2=Second Round |RD3=Quarterfinals

| RD1-seed1=

| RD1-team1=Vanderbilt

| RD1-score1=74

| RD1-seed2=

| RD1-team2=Jacksonville

| RD1-score2=72

| RD1-seed3=

| RD1-team3=Florida State

| RD1-score3=107

| RD1-seed4=

| RD1-team4=Rhode Island

| RD1-score4=92

| RD1-seed5=

| RD1-team5=Saint Louis

| RD1-score5=76

| RD1-seed6=

| RD1-team6=Saint Peter's

| RD1-score6=60

| RD1-seed7=

| RD1-team7=Southern Miss

| RD1-score7=93

| RD1-seed8=

| RD1-team8=Mississippi

| RD1-score8=75

| RD2-seed1=

| RD2-team1=Vanderbilt

| RD2-score1=109

| RD2-seed2=

| RD2-team2=Florida State

| RD2-score2=92

| RD2-seed3=

| RD2-team3=Saint Louis

| RD2-score3=78

| RD2-seed4=

| RD2-team4=Southern Miss

| RD2-score4=83

| RD3-seed1=

| RD3-team1=Vanderbilt

| RD3-score1=88

| RD3-seed2=

| RD3-team2=Southern Miss

| RD3-score2=95

}}

{{8TeamBracket |RD1=First Round |RD2=Second Round |RD3=Quarterfinals

| RD1-seed1=

| RD1-team1=Nebraska

| RD1-score1=78

| RD1-seed2=

| RD1-team2=Marquette

| RD1-score2=76

| RD1-seed3=

| RD1-team3=Arkansas

| RD1-score3=67

| RD1-seed4=

| RD1-team4=Arkansas State

| RD1-score4=64

| RD1-seed5=

| RD1-team5=Washington

| RD1-score5=98

| RD1-seed6=

| RD1-team6=Montana State

| RD1-score6=90

| RD1-seed7=

| RD1-team7=Boise State

| RD1-score7=62

| RD1-seed8=

| RD1-team8=Utah

| RD1-score8=61

| RD2-seed1=

| RD2-team1=Nebraska

| RD2-score1=78

| RD2-seed2=

| RD2-team2=Arkansas

| RD2-score2=71

| RD2-seed3=

| RD2-team3=Washington

| RD2-score3=73

| RD2-seed4=

| RD2-team4=Boise State

| RD2-score4=68

| RD3-seed1=

| RD3-team1=Nebraska

| RD3-score1=81

| RD3-seed2=

| RD3-team2=Washington

| RD3-score2=76

}}

=Semifinals & finals=

{{4TeamBracket | RD1=Semifinals (March 24) | RD2=Finals (March 26)

| RD1-seed1=

| RD1-team1=La Salle

| RD1-score1=92

| RD1-seed2=

| RD1-team2=Arkansas–Little Rock

| RD1-score2=73

| RD1-seed3=

| RD1-team3=Southern Miss

| RD1-score3=82

| RD1-seed4=

| RD1-team4=Nebraska

| RD1-score4=75

| RD2-seed1=

| RD2-team1=La Salle

| RD2-score1=80

| RD2-seed2=

| RD2-team2=Southern Miss

| RD2-score2=84

}}

{{2TeamBracket

| RD1=Third place game

| RD1-seed1=

| RD1-team1=Arkansas–Little Rock

| RD1-score1=67

| RD1-seed2=

| RD1-team2=Nebraska

| RD1-score2=76

}}

See also

References