| Type: | NIT |
| Year: | 2011 |
| Teams: | 32 |
| Finalfourarena: | Madison Square Garden |
| Finalfourcity: | New York City |
| Champions: | Wichita State Shockers |
| Titlecount: | 1st |
| Runnerup: | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| Gamecount: | 2nd |
| Semifinal1: | Colorado Buffaloes |
| Semifinalcount: | 4th |
| Semifinal2: | Washington State Cougars |
| Semifinalcount2: | 1st |
| Coach: | Gregg Marshall |
| Coachcount: | 1st |
| Mop: | Graham Hatch |
| Mopteam: | Wichita State |
The 2011 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams that were not selected to participate in the 2011 NCAA tournament. The 74th annual tournament began March 15 on campus sites ended on March 31 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Wichita State defeated Alabama, 66–57, to win its first NIT title.
The following teams are automatic qualifiers for the 2011 NIT field; by virtue of winning their conferences' regular season championship and not qualifying for the NCAA tournament as an "at-large" bid.
| Team | Conference | Record | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance | Last bid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethune–Cookman | MEAC | 21–12 | 1st | Never | |
| Coastal Carolina | Big South | 28–5 | 2nd | 2010 | |
| College of Charleston | Southern | 24–10 | 4th | 2003 | |
| Fairfield | MAAC | 24–7 | 6th | 2003 | |
| Florida Atlantic | Sun Belt | 21–10 | 1st | Never | |
| Kent State | MAC | 23–11 | 9th | 2010 | |
| Long Beach State | Big West | 22–11 | 6th | 2000 | |
| McNeese State | Southland | 21–11 | 3rd | 2001 | |
| Milwaukee | Horizon | 19–13 | 2nd | 2004 | |
| Missouri State | Missouri Valley | 25–8 | 9th | 2007 | |
| Murray State | Ohio Valley | 23–8 | 7th | 1996 | |
| Saint Mary's | West Coast | 25–8 | 2nd | 2009 | |
| Texas Southern | SWAC | 19–12 | 1st | Never | |
| Vermont | America East | 23–8 | 2nd | 2007 |
The following 18 teams were also awarded NIT berths.
| Team | Conference | Record | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance | Last bid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | SEC | 21–11 | 11th | 2007 | |
| Boston College | ACC | 20–12 | 11th | 2003 | |
| California | Pac-10 | 17–14 | 7th | 2008 | |
| Cleveland State | Horizon | 26–8 | 4th | 2008 | |
| Colorado | Big 12 | 21–13 | 9th | 2006 | |
| Colorado State | Mountain West | 19–12 | 7th | 1999 | |
| Dayton | Atlantic 10 | 22–13 | 23rd | 2010 | |
| Harvard | Ivy | 23–6 | 1st | Never | |
| Miami (FL) | ACC | 19–14 | 10th | 2009 | |
| Nebraska | Big 12 | 19–12 | 17th | 2009 | |
| New Mexico | Mountain West | 21–12 | 19th | 2009 | |
| Northwestern | Big Ten | 18–13 | 6th | 2010 | |
| Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 19–13 | 11th | 2008 | |
| Ole Miss | SEC | 20–13 | 10th | 2010 | |
| UTEP | C-USA | 25–9 | 9th | 2006 | |
| Virginia Tech | ACC | 21–11 | 12th | 2010 | |
| Washington State | Pac-10 | 19–12 | 5th | 2009 | |
| Wichita State | Missouri Valley | 24–8 | 12th | 2010 | |
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Played on the home court of the higher-seeded team
(except #1 Boston College & #3 Dayton in the first round)
* – Denotes overtime
Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City