PEORIA — Bradley Braves head coach Brian Wardle was watching a blast from the past when he got great news for his team's future Sunday night.
The Braves won a bid to the 2026 National Invitation Tournament to extend their season. They will face No. 2 seed Dayton at Carver Arena in an 8 p.m. first-round game Wednesday carried on ESPNU.
"I was watching (former Bradley star) Malevy Leons play against the Knicks," Wardle said. "He's playing for Golden State in that game. Then I had texts blowing up on my phone."
And those texts were great news as the Braves learned they were in the NIT for a fourth straight postseason. They rolled all the way to the quarterfinals last spring before a loss to Chattanooga, which went on to win the NIT title.
"We're excited," Wardle said. "The seniors want to keep playing. This team has grown and evolved each month. I've grown too, right with them. We are closer and better.
"I'm happy these guys get a chance to play in the postseason. The NIT is still a great accomplishment. Especially for this team, so young, it will be great for us."
The 2026 NIT bracket
Let's do this‼️
The #NIT2026 bracket, complete with first round tip-off dates/times, is here 🏀
It all starts Tuesday night. pic.twitter.com/ico6Ulbjrj
— NIT (@NITMBB) March 16, 2026
The Missouri Valley Conference placed a record four teams in the NIT field, including Bradley, Illinois State, Murray State and UIC.
Bradley and Illinois State are both in the Winston-Salem Region, and could face each other in the quarterfinals.
Here are the first-round matchups for the Valley teams:
- Auburn Region: Murray State at No. 2 Nevada, Wednesday
- Albuquerque Region: UIC at No. 2 Cal, Wednesday
- Winston-Salem Region: Kent State at No. 4 Illinois State, Wednesday
- Winston-Salem Region: No. 2 Dayton at Bradley, Wednesday
Dayton, despite being seeded, is coming to Bradley because its venue is hosting the NCAA First Four.
About the Dayton Flyers
Dayton went 23-10 this season and went to the championship game of the Atlantic 10 Conference, where it lost to VCU.
The Flyers beat St. Bonaventure and St. Louis in the first two rounds of that tournament. The Braves lost their season opener at St. Bonaventure and faced St. Louis in an exhibition during pre-season, which they lost.
Dayton has a KenPom ranking of 78 and an NCAA NET ranking of 69. The Flyers have two Quad 1 victories and six in Quad 2.
The Braves are 9-2 all-time against Dayton, but they haven't faced each other since 1990. BU lost the last two matchups, 91-81 in 1990-91 at Carver Arena, and 98-61 in 1989-90 at Dayton.
"They are a great program and great league," Wardle said. "It'll be a great test for us. Those teams are hard to get scheduled, so it's nice to have a chance to play them."
Bradley finished 21-12 this season and second in the Missouri Valley Conference. But the No. 2 seed in the Valley tournament was knocked out by Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals.
NIT 2026 teams: Who is in NIT?
Teams listed in alphabetical order.
- Auburn
- Bradley
- Cal
- Colorado State
- Dayton
- Davidson
- George Mason
- George Washington
- Illinois State
- Liberty
- Kent State
- Murray State
- Navy
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma State
- Saint Joseph's
- Sam Houston
- Seattle U
- St. Thomas
- Stephen F. Austin
- South Alabama
- Tulsa
- Utah Valley
- UC Irvine
- UIC
- UNCW
- UNLV
- Wake Forest
- Wichita State
- Wyoming
- Yale
NIT game schedule and where to watch
(The opening round of the 2026 NIT. All time Central)
Auburn Region
- South Alabama at No. 1 Auburn | Tuesday, 9 p.m. | ESPN2
- Murray State at No. 2 Nevada | Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET | ESPN+
- Liberty at No. 3 George Mason | Tuesday, 5 p.m. | ESPN2
- St. Thomas at No. 4 Seattle U | Tuesday, 9 p.m. | ESPN+
Albuquerque Region
- Sam Houston at No. 1 New Mexico | Wednesday, 8 p.m. | ESPN+
- UIC at No. 2 Cal | Wednesday, 10 p.m. | ESPN2
- Saint Joseph's at No. 3 Colorado State | Wednesday, 10 p.m. | ESPNU
- George Washington at No. 4 Utah Valley | Wednesday, 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Winston-Salem Region
- Navy at No. 1 Wake Forest | Wednesday, 6 p.m. | ESPNU
- No. 2 Dayton at Bradley | Wednesday, 8 p.m. | ESPNU
- UNCW at No. 3 Yale | Tuesday, 6 p.m. | ESPN+
- Kent State at No. 4 Illinois State | Wednesday, 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Tulsa Region
- Stephen F. Austin at No. 1 Tulsa | Tuesday, 8 p.m. | ESPNU
- Davidson at No. 2 Oklahoma State | Tuesday, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
- Wyoming vs. No. 3 Wichita State | Tuesday, 6 p.m. | ESPNU
- UNLV at No. 4 UC Irvine | Tuesday, March 17 at 10 p.m. | ESPNU
2026 NIT later rounds
- Second round: Saturday, March 21 & Sunday, March 22 (campus sites)
- Quarterfinals: Tuesday, March 24 & Wednesday, March 25 (campus sites)
- National semifinals: Thursday, April 2 (Hinkle Fieldhouse), Indianapolis
- NIT championship: Sunday, April 5 (Gainbridge Fieldhouse), Indianapolis
How to get Bradley tickets
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 available for purchase at 10:30 a.m. on Monday for $27 per seat.
Bradley Athletics Ticket Office: The ticket office will operate at regular hours (10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) to assist with ticket requests and answer any questions.
(This story has been updated to add pictures, graphics and more information)
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Bradley men's basketball gets NIT bid, will host Dayton