CollegeInsider.com Postseason 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).

CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
SportBasketball
Founded2009
FounderCollegeInsider.com
First season2009
No. of teams16
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)
Marshall
Most titlesNo team won more than one title
TV partner(s)Fox College Sports (2009–2012)
CBS Sports Network (2013–2019)
TBA (2024–)
Related
competitions
College Basketball Invitational
National Invitational Tournament
Official websitewww.collegeinsider.com/tournament

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]

Format edit

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".[3] 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."[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

Broadcast edit

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.[7] 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:

Year Network Play-by-Play Color analyst Sideline
2009 Fox College Sports Dave Baker Kyle Macy
2010
2011
2012 Dave Calloway
2013[8] CBSSN
2014[9] Dave Popkin Dave Calloway
2015[10] Kyle Macy Kevaney Martin
2016[11]
2017[12]
2018
2019 WatchCIT Jake Griffith Bob Bolen
2020-2023 Not held

Champions edit

 
 
Old Dominion
 
Missouri State
 
Santa Clara
 
Mercer
 
East Carolina
 
Murray
State
 
Evansville
 
Columbia
 
Saint
Peter's
 
Northern Colorado
 
Marshall
CIT Champions
  – 1 championship
Year Champion Runner-up MVP
2009 Old Dominion Bradley Frank Hassell[13]
2010 Missouri State Pacific Will Creekmore[14]
2011 Santa Clara Iona Kevin Foster[15]
2012 Mercer Utah State Langston Hall[16]
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
2020-2023 Not held

References edit

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

External links edit