| Type: | NIT |
| Year: | 1971 |
| Teams: | 16 |
| Finalfourarena: | Madison Square Garden |
| Finalfourcity: | New York City |
| Champions: | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| Titlecount: | 1st |
| Gamecount: | 1st |
| Semifinalcount: | 5th |
| Semifinal2: | Duke Blue Devils |
| Semifinalcount2: | 1st |
| Coach: | Dean Smith |
| Coachcount: | 1st |
| Mop: | Bill Chamberlain |
| Mopteam: | North Carolina |
The 1971 National Invitation Tournament was the 1971 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. 1971 was unique because it was the only time that major rivals Duke and North Carolina had played each other after the ACC tournament until the 2022 NCAA Final Four clash. Eventual ACC member Georgia Tech also made the semis, and lost to North Carolina in the championship. The fourth semifinalist, St. Bonaventure, was playing its first season following the departure of All-American Bob Lanier, who led the Brown Indians to the 1970 Final Four (Lanier was injured in the 1970 regional final vs. Villanova and did not play in either Final Four game).
Below is a list of the 16 teams selected for the tournament.[1]
| Team | Conference | data-sort-type="number" | Overall record | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance | Last bid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | 18–8 | 12th | 1968 | |||
| Duke | ACC | 18–8 | 4th | 1970 | ||
| Independent | 20–8 | 2nd | 1970 | |||
| Independent | 22–4 | 1st | Never | |||
| Middle Atlantic | 20–6 | 8th | 1965 | |||
| Missouri Valley | 20–8 | 9th | 1970 | |||
| Michigan | Big Ten | 18–6 | 1st | Never | ||
| North Carolina | ACC | 22–6 | 2nd | 1970 | ||
| Big Eight | 19–7 | 2nd | 1970 | |||
| Independent | 19–7 | 7th | 1967 | |||
| Purdue | Big Ten | 18–6 | 1st | Never | ||
| Independent | 18–5 | 8th | 1964 | |||
| St. John's | Independent | 18–8 | 20th | 1970 | ||
| Independent | 19–6 | 5th | 1967 | |||
| SEC | 20–6 | 3rd | 1969 | |||
| Yankee | 23–3 | 2nd | 1970 |
Below is the tournament bracket.