CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament

Last updated
CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
Current season, competition or edition:
Sports current event.svg 2024 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament logo.png
CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
Sport Basketball
Founded2009
Founder CollegeInsider.com
First season2009
No. of teams9
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)		 Marshall
Most titlesNo team has won more than one title
TV partner(s) Fox College Sports (2009–2012)
CBS Sports Network (2013–2019)
ESPN+ (2024–)
Related
competitions		 National Invitation Tournament
College Basketball Invitational
Official website www.collegeinsider.com/tournament

The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) is an American men's college basketball postseason tournament founded by CollegeInsider.com. The tournament is oriented toward teams that did not get selected for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament or National Invitation Tournament (NIT) that reside outside of the "major conferences" (defined by CollegeInsider.com as the Power Five conferences, Atlantic 10 Conference, American Athletic Conference, Big East Conference, Conference USA and Mountain West Conference).

Contents

The tournament was first contested in 2009. In 2012, it expanded to 32 participating teams, but contracted to 26 teams for the 2016, 2017, and 2019 editions, and 20 teams in 2018. The tournament was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the tournament was re-launched and rebranded as The Basketball Classic. [1] While neither The Basketball Classic nor the CIT were contested in 2023, CollegeInsider.com announced in early March that the CIT will be revived in a 16-team pod-based format for the 2023–24 postseason. [2] Ultimately, only nine teams agreed to play in the 2024 edition. [3]

Format

The tournament initially consisted of five rounds, single elimination-style, and claims to "use the old NIT model in which matchups in future rounds are determined by the results of the previous round". [4] The revived CIT, starting in 2024, features an altered format: "Four schools will host four 4-team pods with two semifinals and finale the next day. The [four] winners will advance to the CIT national semifinals to be played on campus sites with the championship game to also be played at the site of the highest remaining seed. The entire field will be seeded 1-16." [5] Criteria for selection include, but are not limited to, win–loss record, strength of schedule, strength of conference, and final ten games. Teams from "major conferences" are generally ineligible. Participating teams must finish the regular season with a .500 winning percentage or better to qualify. The only exception to this was the now-defunct Great West Conference Tournament winner, who was given an automatic bid to play in the CIT if they were not given an at-large bid to participate in the NCAA or NIT tournaments, until the dissolution of the conference in 2013–14. [6] In 2013, the Chicago State Cougars won the Great West Conference Tournament, thus becoming the first team to participate in the CIT with a sub-.500 record (11–21). From the 2016 Tournament to 2019, The Coach John McLendon Classic was played on the first day of the tournament. The Classic was to feature at least one historically black college/university. The winner of the John McLendon Classic advanced to the second round of the CIT. This was the first time in NCAA Division I Basketball history that a "Classic" has been part of a postseason tournament. Previously the John McLendon Classic was played during the regular season.

Teams must pay $30,000 to host a game. [7]

Broadcast

In 2013, CBS Sports Network partnered with the CIT, showing only the championship game, with the earlier rounds streamed live online. Free registration is required to view the games. Starting in 2014, CBSSN aired the semifinals and the championship game. [8] In 2017 the early rounds of the tournament were shown on Facebook Live. In 2018 Monday's 4 classics were announced for CBSSN. All remaining games until the semifinals were moved to CBS' Sports Live streaming service and watchcit.com.

The following is an overview and list of the announcers and television networks to broadcast the CIT:

YearNetworkPlay-by-PlayColor analystSideline
2009 Fox College Sports Dave Baker Kyle Macy
2010
2011
2012 Dave Calloway
2013 [9] CBSSN
2014 [10] Dave Popkin Dave Calloway
2015 [11] Kyle Macy Kevaney Martin
2016 [12]
2017 [13]
2018
2019 WatchCITJake GriffithBob Bolen
2020-2023Not held

Champions

Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Old Dominion
Red pog.svg
Missouri State
Red pog.svg
Santa Clara
Red pog.svg
Mercer
Red pog.svg
East Carolina
Red pog.svg
Murray
State
Red pog.svg
Evansville
Red pog.svg
Columbia
Red pog.svg
Saint
Peter's
Red pog.svg
Northern Colorado
Red pog.svg
Marshall
Red pog.svg
Norfolk
State
class=notpageimage|
CIT champions
Red pog.svg – 1 championship
YearChampionRunner-upMVP
2009 Old Dominion Bradley Frank Hassell [14]
2010 Missouri State Pacific Will Creekmore [15]
2011 Santa Clara Iona Kevin Foster [16]
2012 Mercer Utah State Langston Hall [17]
2013 East Carolina Weber State Maurice Kemp
2014 Murray State Yale Cameron Payne
2015 Evansville Northern Arizona D. J. Balentine
2016 Columbia UC Irvine Maodo Lo
2017 Saint Peter's Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Quadir Welton
2018 Northern Colorado UIC Andre Spight
2019 Marshall Green Bay C. J. Burks
2020–2023Not held
2024 Norfolk State Purdue Fort Wayne Christian Ings

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The 2009 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a single-elimination tournament of 16 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I teams that was won by Old Dominion. Old Dominion defeated Bradley 66–62 in the tournament final.

The 2010 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of 16 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I teams.

The 2011 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of 24 NCAA Division I teams. The CIT began with 12 first-round games. Four of the teams that won first-round games advanced to the quarterfinals, while the other eight teams played for the right to advance to the quarterfinals in the second round March 18–19. The announcement of the 2011 field was made on March 13, 2011.

The 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams, up from 24 teams in the 2011 CIT. The CIT began with 16 first-round games. Games took place March 13–28, 2012.

Collegeinsider.com is a sports website based in Boston that is noted particularly for its basketball polls, awards and sponsored tournament.

The 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams. Games took place throughout March 2013. The semifinals were played on March 30 with the championship game played on April 2, 2013.

The 2014 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams that were not selected to participate in the 2014 NCAA tournament. The annual tournament started on campus sites for the first three rounds, with the Final 4 and championship game being held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The tournament began on Tuesday, March 18 and ended on Thursday, April 3. Minnesota won this tournament after being the third Big Ten team in a row to make the NIT Finals.

The 2014 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams. The first round started March 17, 2014. The semifinals were played on April 1, with the championship game played on April 3, 2014.

The 2015 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I basketball teams. The first round started on March 16, 2015. The semifinals were played on March 31, and the championship game was on April 2, 2015. The Evansville Purple Aces beat the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks for their first CIT championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015–16 Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2015–16 Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball team represented Grand Canyon University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was head coach Dan Majerle's third season at Grand Canyon. This season was year 3 of a 4-year transition period from Division II to Division I. As a result, the Antelopes were not eligible to make the NCAA Tournament, nor the NIT and could not participate WAC Basketball Tournament. However the Antelopes were eligible for the CIT, CBI or the new Vegas 16 tournaments if invited. They finished the season 27–7, 11–3 in WAC play to finish in a tie for second place. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. In the first round, they defeated South Carolina State to be champions of the Coach John McLendon Classic, the first classic game to be held as part of a postseason tournament. In the second round they defeated Jackson State to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to Coastal Carolina.

The 2016 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams that were not selected to participate in the 2016 NCAA tournament. The annual tournament was played on campus sites for the first three rounds, with the Final Four and championship game being held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The tournament began on Tuesday, March 15 and ended on Thursday, March 31. An experimental rule allowing players six personal fouls instead of five was approved for use in all national postseason tournaments except for the NCAA Tournament. The NIT Selection Show aired at 8:30 PM EDT on Sunday, March 13, 2016, on ESPNU. George Washington were the champions over Valparaiso 76–60. The Colonials victory was their first-ever NIT title.

The 2016 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of 26 NCAA Division I basketball teams. The first round was played March 14–16, 2016. The second round March 18–20, Quarterfinals March 22–24 the semifinals March 27, and the championship game was played on March 29

The 2017 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of 26 NCAA Division I basketball teams. The tournament was played March 13–31, 2017.

The 2018 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of NCAA Division I basketball teams. The tournament began on March 12, 2018, and concluded on March 30, 2018.

The 2019 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of NCAA Division I basketball teams. The tournament began on March 18, 2019, and concluded on April 4, 2019.

The 2024 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of NCAA Division I basketball teams. This was the first CIT contested since 2019. The 2020 and 2021 CITs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the CIT was replaced by The Basketball Classic. Neither The Basketball Classic nor the CIT were contested in 2023. However, CollegeInsider.com announced in early March 2024, that the CIT was to be revived in a 16-team pod-based format for the 2023–24 postseason. Ultimately, only nine teams agreed to play in the 2024 edition.

References

  1. ↑ "Stewart Instrumental in Forming New NCAA DI Basketball Classic Postseason Tournament". 9 February 2022.
  2. ↑ "The 2024 CIT". collegeinsider.com. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  3. ↑ "SCHEDULE/RESULTS". collegeinsider.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  4. ↑ "CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament". collegeinsider.com. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  5. ↑ "The 2024 CIT". collegeinsider.com. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  6. ↑ "CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament Guide". collegeinsider.com. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  7. ↑ Shaffer, Jonas. "Towson men's basketball declines postseason tournament invitations".
  8. ↑ "CIT Semis and Championship on CBS Sports Network". CollegeInsider.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ "2013 March Madness: CiT Tournament Semifinals and Championship" (Press release). Eye on Sky and Air Sports. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  10. ↑ "2014 CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CiT) Semifinals & Championship TV Schedule" (Press release). Eye on Sky and Air Sports. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  11. ↑ "2015 CBI, CIT, & NIT TV & National Radio Info" (Press release). Eye on Sky and Air Sports. Retrieved 2015-03-29.
  12. ↑ "2016 CBI, CIT, & NIT TV & National Radio Info" (Press release). Eye on Sky and Air Sports. Retrieved 2016-03-26.
  13. ↑ "2017 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CiT) Championship TV Schedule" (Press release). Eye on Sky and Air Sports. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  14. ↑ "Old Dominion vs. Bradley - Game Recap - March 31, 2009". ESPN.
  15. ↑ "Missouri State University Official Athletic Site". missouristatebears.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  16. ↑ "Kevin Foster Reflects on Season". June 7, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Mercer vs. Utah State - Game Recap - March 28, 2012". ESPN.
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