Current season, competition or edition: 2024 College Basketball Invitational | |
 College Basketball Invitational | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | The Gazelle Group |
| First season | 2008 |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Country | United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Seattle (2024) |
| Most titles | No team has won more than one title |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN2 (2022–present) FloSports (2021-present) ESPNU (2016–2019) CBSSN (2014–2015) AXS TV (2009–2013) Fox College Sports (2008) |
| Related competitions | NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament National Invitation Tournament CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament |
| Official website | http://www.gazellegroup.com/main/cbi/ |
The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI selects 16 teams that are not selected for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament or the National Invitation Tournament[1] (NIT), and who are willing to pay a $27,500 entry fee to participate.[2] In the CBI, prior to 2020[3] teams competed on home courts. After the post-COVID pandemic revival, the tournament has been staged at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. The CBI is a single-elimination tournament. Prior to 2020, the tournament was single elimination until the final two teams were determined, after which the championship was determined by a championship series with a best-two-out-of-three format. Since the tournament's 2021 revival and adoption of the single-site format, the championship is also determined by a single game. In 2023, the CBI introduced NIL funding of $40,000 to be distributed in the following manner: $25,000 to the champion, $10,000 to the runner-up, and $2,500 to each semifinalist.
While these tournaments provide a chance for teams to continue their season, they are often unpopular among higher-profile teams due to the stigma of playing in a tertiary tournament. In 2014, Indiana Hoosiers athletic director Fred Glass declined a CBI invitation. He expressed, "we're Indiana. We don't play in the CBI."[4]
- ^ "Fourth postseason hoops tourney announced". ESPN.com. January 27, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ Shaffer, Jonas. "Towson men's basketball declines postseason tournament invitations". Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
- ^ "Group starts third postseason tourney featuring 16 teams". ESPN. November 14, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ Osterman, By Zach. "Hoosiers miss NIT, decide to end season". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved May 30, 2024.