Wake Forest Men's Basketball Headed to NIT

Deacons to face Navy in first round as a 1-seed

Mar. 16, 2026 at 1:49am

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Wake Forest's men's basketball team will continue its season in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) after failing to make the NCAA Tournament. The Deacons are a 1-seed in the NIT and will host Navy in the first round on Wednesday night at Joel Coliseum.

Why it matters

The NIT bid marks the third time in the past five seasons that Wake Forest has played in the postseason tournament, providing the team and its fans another opportunity to extend the season and compete for a championship.

The details

After losing to Clemson in the ACC Tournament, Wake Forest made it clear they wanted to keep playing. The Deacons will host Navy in the first round, with the winner advancing to face either Illinois State or Kent State. This is the opposite of last season when Wake Forest qualified for the NIT but declined the bid.

  • The NIT first-round game between Wake Forest and Navy will be played on Wednesday night.
  • If Wake Forest advances, they will face the winner of Illinois State and Kent State.

The players

Steve Forbes

The head coach of the Wake Forest men's basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“They want to play. They like playing. They like each other. I like coaching them.”

— Steve Forbes, Head Coach

What’s next

The winner of the Wake Forest-Navy game will advance to face the winner of Illinois State and Kent State in the next round of the NIT.

The takeaway

Wake Forest's continued participation in the NIT demonstrates the team's desire to keep playing and the program's recent success in earning postseason berths, even if they fell short of the NCAA Tournament this year.