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. • Akron • Arkansas • Arkansas–Little Rock • Arkansas State • Baylor • Boise State • California • Cal State Fullerton • Chattanooga • Cleveland State • Florida State • Illinois State • Jacksonville • James Madison • La Salle • Marquette • Mississippi • Montana State • Nebraska • New Mexico • Niagara • Oregon State • Rhode Island • Saint Louis • Saint Peter's • Seton Hall • Southern Miss • Stephen F. Austin • Utah • Vanderbilt • Villanova • Washington

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.

Bracket

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

Semifinals & finals