San Francisco Invited to Second Straight NIT, Set to Host Utah Valley

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco men’s basketball team is back in the postseason for the third time in four seasons as the Dons have been selected to compete in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) for the second straight year.
 
San Francisco is set to begin play in the 2025 NIT as a No. 1 seed on Wednesday, Mar. 19, with the Dons set to host Utah Valley (25-8, 15-1 WAC) at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center in the opening round of the tournament. The contest will air live on ESPNU and KNBR 1050 at 8:00 pm PT.
 
With this appearance, the green and gold appear in the NIT field for the second consecutive season and will host a first-round game on campus for the first time since 2013-14 when the Dons welcomed LSU to the Hilltop. Historically, San Francisco won the NIT tournament in 1949 when USF took down Loyola Chicago, 48-47, at Madison Square Garden to finish 25-5 overall.
 
Third-year head coach Chris Gerlufsen has guided the 2024-25 Dons to a 24-9 record so far, which included a 13-5 mark and a third-place finish in conference play. San Francisco eclipsed the 20-win mark for the eighth straight full season (excluding the COVID-19 shortened season in 2020-21). USF’s thirteen conference victories tied for the program’s most since 2013-14. Notably, San Francisco finished undefeated (16-0) on the Hilltop for the first time since 1980-81. The Dons also reached the semifinal round of the WCC Championship for the fourth consecutive year this past week.
 
Wednesday’s winner will play the victor of San José State (15-19, 7-13 MW) and Loyola Chicago (22-11, 12-6 A-10). First round games begin Tuesday, Mar. 18 and Wednesday, Mar. 19 followed by second round games on Saturday, Mar. 22 and Sunday, Mar. 23. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Mar. 25 + 26 with the semifinals (Apr. 1) and championship (Apr. 3) set to take place at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.

Additionally, the status of Marcus Williams has not changed since the University’s initial statement and Williams will not be available to participate in postseason play.

 

Tickets for the 2025 NIT are available for purchase online via the San Francisco Athletics box office or by contacting the office at usftickets@usfca.edu or (415) 422-2873.

To view the full bracket of the 2025 NIT and additional information, please click here.

 

For updates and more information on the San Francisco men’s basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.