Saint Mary’s may be , but four other local schools will also be participating in the postseason this coming week.

the Bay Area’s only men’s basketball team in the NCAA Tournament

Hours after Sunday, Stanford, San Jose State, San Francisco and Santa Clara all accepted invites to the men’s National Invitational Tournament.

the NCAA Tournament was revealed

Stanford (20-13) will be taking part in the postseason for the first time since 2018 when it hosts Cal State Northridge (22-10) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Maples Pavilion. Santa Clara (20-12) plays host on Tuesday as well when it faces UC Riverside (21-12) at 8 p.m.

Both USF and San Jose State will play at home Wednesday night in the 32-team NIT. The Dons (24-9) will play Utah Valley (25-8) at War Memorial at 8 p.m. Meanwhile, the Spartans (15-19) are set to make their first NIT appearance since 1981 when they face Loyola Chicago (22-11) at 8 p.m.

Despite their sub-.500 record, the Spartans are enjoying a bit of a renaissance under coach Tim Miles. Their 15 victories gives them their most wins over a three-year span (45) since the school won 46 games from 1985-88.

San Jose State may have been one of the beneficiaries of more postseason spots being available this year. There were a number of teams that declined to play in the NIT in order to participate in the new, Fox-sponsored College Basketball Crown. That 16-team tournament will be held in Las Vegas from March 31-April 6. West Virginia and Ohio State are among the schools expected to participate in the inaugural tournament.

Stanford will have history on its side when it takes the floor Tuesday night. The Cardinal is 11-2 at home all-time in the NIT, including nine straight wins from 2006-18. Plus, it has advanced to the second round, or further, in each of its last five appearances.