The Middle School NIT is growing and expanding as the tournament approaches.

Slated for June 24-25 in Rock Hill, SC, the tournament has now expanded into three brackets.

The first is the Boys Middle School bracket, which will include Washington DC, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, Virginia, and two teams from North Carolina. 

In addition, Tournament Director Erik Saxon put out a call for interest for Middle School Girls teams, and he received a quick and positive response. Teams wanted to play, but few had the numbers to support a full 15s event. So 7s teams from Virginia, North Texas, North Carolina, and South Carolina will all compete.

And, finally, an interesting twist. After the South Regional Cup Tournament (RCT) moved from Charlotte to Georgia, many girls HS all-star teams didn't move with it. In fact, the South RCT only got one girls team to sign up. Instead, the girls teams interested in playing in the South asked Saxon if they could come to Riggles Bottom.

And so that's become a thing, with Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, and Tennessee HS Girls select sides all scheduled to compete.

"It's a little different from what we first envisioned, but we're really excited," said Saxon. 

For more on the Ruck in Rock Hill, go here.