The 2012 NIT bracket (pdf) was announced on Sunday night, and the Northwestern Wildcats made the cut as a No. 4 seed, which means they will get to host a game; the Wildcats will face the Akron Zips on Tuesday night.

Related: Northwestern Wildcats a 4-seed in NIT vs. Akron Zips

It's a disappointing development for a Northwestern team that was very close to making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, but the team has an opportunity to finish the year on a positive note.

Northwestern's game against Akron is set for 8:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday on ESPN2.

Elsewhere in the bracket, Illinois State received a No. 7 seed and will play at Mississippi on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

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