In the CBI. Lol.
CINCINNATI, OH The University of Cincinnati will continue the 2007-08 men's basketball season this week as a participant in the inaugural postseason College Basketball Invitational (CBI), which will be begin with first round games Tuesday and Wednesday, March 18-19 on campus sites around the nation.
US Presswire
Deonta Vaughn and the rest of his teammates are not done yet.
The Bearcats (13-18, 8-10 BIG EAST) will travel for a first-round game on Wednesday, March 19. The opponent will be announced Monday morning. UC student-athletes are in final exams this week and the UC Administration is working with the tournament management to secure travel that fits around the exam schedules.
The CBI features 16 teams and secures an important opportunity for deserving programs to have a postseason experience. Participating teams are being invited based upon their performance during their conference and non-conference schedules. All the games, which begin Tuesday, will be played on the campuses of the higher-seeded teams. The tournament's champion will be determined by a best-of-three series scheduled for March 31, April 2, and April 4.
All of the games will be televised nationally by FOX College Sports.
"Obviously we are excited to be playing in the postseason" says second-year head coach Mick Cronin. "This is a tribute to the tough schedule that we played over the course of the season and to the strength of the BIG EAST. More than 40 percent of our games this season were played against NCAA Tournament teams. Our kids are excited for the opportunity to represent UC again on the floor and will make the most of this experience."
UC played 14 of its 31 games this season against teams that made the NCAA Tournament's field of 65. The Bearcats went 4-10 in those games, with the wins coming over Pittsburgh, Louisville, West Virginia, and Villanova. Nine of their 31 games were against teams that received a No. 4 seed or higher.
Cincinnati dropped its first-round game in the BIG EAST Tournament to eventual tournament champion Pittsburgh, 70-64, despite 30 points from first-team all-BIG EAST performer Deonta Vaughn.
The Gazelle Group, producers of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, and the Legends Classic, is the sponsoring body for the new tournament. For more information please log onto the web at http://www.gazellegroup.com/cbi/index_main.htm.