Buffs Will Host Gardner-Webb, Wednesday In CBI 1st Rd

BOULDER - The University of Colorado men's basketball program has accepted their first-ever bid in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) and will play Gardner-Webb, Wednesday, March 18, 7 p.m. at the Coors Events Center, announced Sunday night.

CU (15-17) is coming off a 93-85 quarterfinal loss to Oregon at the Pac-12 Tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, last Thursday.  The Buffaloes finished tied for eighth in the Pac-12 Conference with a 7-11 record and were seeded No. 10 due to tie-breakers. CU upset No. 7 Oregon State in the first round, 78-71 last Wednesday.

The Runnin' Bulldogs are 20-14 on the season and finished with a 10-8 record in the Big South Conference. They lost in the semifinal round of their conference tournament.

"Gardner-Webb is very well-coached team that played an impressive non-conference schedule," CU head coach Tad Boyle said.  "They won at Purdue (89-84); beat Clemson (72-70) at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas; and played Arizona, Old Dominion, and Seton Hall. Gardner-Webb is battled-tested.  We don't know that much about them, but we'll be well-acquainted with them on Monday."

The winner of the CU/Gardner-Webb first round game will play the winner of Pepperdine or Seattle. Site is to be determined.

In their lone meeting head-to-head, CU won 97-88  on December 28, 2004 in Boulder. CU shot57.1 percent from the field and placed five players in double figures. Marcus Hall scored 22 points and Chris Copeland (Indiana Pacers) added 17 points with three blocks. Gardner-Webb also shot the ball well, making 52.9 percent from the field and making 11 treys.

Tickets for the CU/Gardner Webb game will be $15 and the entire building will be general admission.  Reserved seat tickets will not be available. Season ticket holders will have the first opportunity to purchase these tickets beginning at 9 a.m. until noon on Monday, March 16. 

At that time, the rest of the inventory will be open to the public at www.cubuffs.com/tickets.

Students with a CU Sports Pass are free with their Buff OneCard.  Admission for all other students will be $5 and students will need to bring their Buff OneCard and enter at the southwest student entrance in order to receive that price.

The CBI is a single-elimination tournament up until the "best-of-three" Championship Series, with all games played at campus sites. After the first round games, the quarterfinal round will take place on Monday, March 23, followed by the semifinal round on Wednesday, March 25.

Prior to the semifinals, the remaining teams will be re-bracketed. The Championship Series is a best-of-three in which one team will host two of the three games. Those games will be played on March 30, April 1, and April 3.

Past CBI champions include Tulsa, Oregon State, VCU, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Santa Clara, and Siena. Teams from nearly every conference have participated in the event. Twenty-four teams have used the CBI to springboard to the NCAA Tournament the following year, while another 15 have gone on to the NIT.

CBS Sports Network is the official television home of the CBI. CBS Sports Network will televise each game of the best-of-three Championship Series. Michael Reghi and John Griffin will serve as the broadcast team.

CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

The College Basketball Invitational is produced by the Gazelle Group of Princeton, N.J. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the 2K Classic, Legends Classic, the Gotham Classic, and the All-American Championship. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.

Previous CBI Champions (with years): Siena (2014), Santa Clara (2013), Pittsburgh (2012), Oregon (2011), VCU (2010), Oregon State (2009), and Tulsa (2008).