| Type: | NIT |
| Year: | 1956 |
| Teams: | 12 |
| Finalfourarena: | Madison Square Garden |
| Finalfourcity: | New York City |
| Champions: | Louisville Cardinals |
| Titlecount: | 1st |
| Runnerup: | Dayton Flyers |
| Gamecount: | 4th |
| Semifinal1: | Saint Joseph's Hawks |
| Semifinalcount: | 1st |
| Semifinal2: | St. Francis (NY) Terriers |
| Semifinalcount2: | 1st |
| Coach: | Bernard Hickman |
| Coachcount: | 1st |
| Mop: | Charlie Tyra |
| Mopteam: | Louisville |
The 1956 National Invitation Tournament was the 1956 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.
Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.[1] The top four teams are seeded and receive a bye for the first round.[2]
| Participants | Seed | |
|---|---|---|
| Dayton | 1 | |
| Louisville | 2 | |
| Saint Joseph's | 3 | |
| Niagara | 4 | |
| Duquesne | ||
| Lafayette | ||
| Marquette | ||
| Oklahoma A&M | ||
| St. Francis (NY) | ||
| Saint Louis | ||
| Seton Hall | ||
| Xavier |
Below is the tournament bracket.