A jumper from former Green High School and Walsh University player Garrison Keeslar lifted Chattanooga to the NIT championship on Thursday.

Chattanooga became the first team from the Southern Conference to win the NIT championship after beating UC Irvine 85-84.

Chattanooga has won the National Invitation Tournament after defeating UC Irvine 85-84 in overtime in Indianapolis on Thursday evening. Garrison Keeslar's jumper put the Mocs up 85-84 with 11 seconds remaining.

It's the UC Irvine Anteaters vs. the Chattanooga Mocs in the 2025 NIT championship game. Here's how to watch and a bracket update.

Former Green High School and Walsh University player Garrison Keeslar hits a shot to win the NIT championship for Chattanooga. (@NITMBB on X)

One of the best free-throw shooting teams in the nation, the Anteaters miss 13 foul shots and can’t convert an open layup in the final seconds in an 85-84 defeat in Indianapolis.

Both teams have rallied to win all of their tournament games, so something has to give when the Anteaters (32-6) square off with the Mocs (28-9) on Thursday night in Indianapolis.

A champion will be crowned on Thursday, April 3 in the 2025 Men’s NIT where the UC Irvine Anteaters will face off with the Chattanooga Mocs at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

One national men’s basketball champion will be crowned Thursday on the eve of the Final Four, as UC Irvine and Chattanooga battle for the 2025 NIT Championship.