Chattanooga captured the 2025 National Invitation Tournament title Thursday with a thrilling 85-84 comeback victory in overtime vs. UC Irvine at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Chattanooga guard Garrison Keeslar knocked down a go-ahead jumper with 11 seconds remaining, and UC Irvine missed a shot at the buzzer that would've won the game.
Chattanooga guard Trey Bonham and Collin Mulholland each scored 19 points in the win.
Chattanooga made an improbable run to the NIT title game after securing wins over Middle Tennessee, Dayton, Bradley and Loyola Chicago. The Mocs finished the season with a 29-9 record, which tied the record for the most wins in program history.
CHATTANOOGA SURVIVES 😱
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 4, 2025
An OT thriller in the NIT championship 🍿 pic.twitter.com/nvzkXgR5So
All five UC Irvine starters scored at least 13 points. The Anteaters lost the Big West title game last month to UC San Diego and just missed out on an at-large berth to the Big Dance. UC Irvine defeated Northern Colorado, Jacksonville State, UAB, North Texas and Chattanooga en route to the title game.
UC Irvine finished the 2024-25 season with a 32-7 record, which set the record for the most wins in program history.
2025 NIT schedule, scores
NIT Championship
Thursday, April 3 -- Hinkle Fieldhouse
Chattanooga 85, No. 1 UC Irvine 84 | Recap
SMU Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 SMU 73, Northern Iowa 63 | Recap
No. 2 North Texas 75, Furman 64 | Recap
No. 3 Arkansas State 103, Saint Louis 78 | Recap
No. 4 Oklahoma State 89, Wichita State 79 | Recap
SECOND ROUND
No. 2 North Texas 65, No. 3 Arkansas State 63 | Recap
No. 4 Oklahoma State 85, No. 1 SMU 83 | Recap
Quarterfinals
No. 2 North Texas 61, No. 4 Oklahoma State 59 | Recap
Irvine Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 UC Irvine 82, Northern Colorado 72 | Recap
No. 2 Santa Clara 101, UC Riverside 62 | Recap
UAB 69, No. 3 Saint Joseph's 65 | Recap
Jacksonville State 81, No. 4 Georgia Tech 64 | Recap
SECOND ROUND
UAB 87, No. 2 Santa Clara 84 | Recap
No. 1 UC Irvine 66, Jacksonville State 61 | Recap
Quarterfinals
No. 1 UC Irvine 81, UAB 77 | Recap
Dayton Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Dayton 86, Florida Atlantic 79 | Recap
No. 2 George Mason 86, Samford 69 | Recap
No. 3 Bradley 71, North Alabama 62 | Recap
Chattanooga 109, No. 4 Middle Tennessee 103 (3OT) | Recap
SECOND ROUND
No. 3 Bradley 75, No. 2 George Mason 67 | Recap
Chattanooga 87, No. 1 Dayton 72 | Recap
QUARTERFINALS
Chattanooga 67, No. 3 Bradley 65 | Recap
San Francisco Region
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 San Francisco 79, Utah Valley 70 | Recap
No. 2 Stanford 87, CSUN 70 | Recap
Kent State 75, No. 3 St. Bonaventure 56 | Recap
Loyola Chicago 73, No. 4 San Jose State 70 | Recap
SECOND ROUND
Kent State 77, No. 2 Stanford 75 | Recap
Loyola Chicago 77, No. 1 San Francisco 76 | Recap
QUARTERFINALS
Loyola Chicago 72, Kent State 62 | Recap
National semifinals
Tuesday, April 1 -- Hinkle Fieldhouse
No. 1 UC Irvine 69, No. 2 North Texas 67 | Recap
Chattanooga 80, Loyola Chicago 73 | Recap