| Type: | NIT |
| Year: | 1959 |
| Teams: | 12 |
| Finalfourarena: | Madison Square Garden |
| Finalfourcity: | New York City |
| Champions: | St. John's Redmen |
| Titlecount: | 3rd |
| Gamecount: | 3rd |
| Semifinalcount: | 3rd |
| Semifinalcount2: | 1st |
| Coach: | Joe Lapchick |
| Coachcount: | 2nd |
| Mop: | Tony Jackson |
| Mopteam: | St. John's |
The 1959 National Invitation Tournament was the 1959 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.
Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.[1]
| Team | Conference | data-sort-type="number" | Overall record | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance | Last bid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri Valley | 23–3 | 8th | 1958 | |||
| Independent | 18–8 | 2nd | 1958 | |||
| Skyline | 14–9 | 1st | Never | |||
| Metro New York | 17–7 | 3rd | 1958 | |||
| Metro New York | 14–6 | 7th | 1957 | |||
| Metro New York | 12–7 | 5th | 1952 | |||
| Independent | 20–6 | 1st | Never | |||
| Independent | 18–5 | 1st | Never | |||
| Independent | 20–2 | 5th | 1958 | |||
| St. John's | Metro New York | 16–6 | 14th | 1958 | ||
| Missouri Valley | 20–5 | 8th | 1956 | |||
| Independent | 18–6 | 1st | Never |
Below is the tournament bracket.