CIT Tournament 2015: Bracket, schedule and scores
The 2015 CIT features the lone independent school and a few others new to Division I.
Out of college basketball’s four postseason tournaments, the CollegeInsider.com Tournament is unique in that it does not use a bracket to determine matchups and is geared exclusively toward mid-to-low major schools.
The result is a 32-team field that includes some teams making their first postseason appearances, with winning teams unsure of where they’re headed next, sometimes long after their games have been decided.
The most talked-about team in this year’s field is the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The Highlanders are the lone independent team in Division I and made news earlier this year by upsetting Michigan in Ann Arbor.
This is the first-ever appearance in a postseason tournament for NJIT, as well as for Incarnate Word, which joined Division I in 2013.
Florida Gulf Coast also made the field, after failing to win the Atlantic Sun tournament. The Eagles still feature some players from the team that advanced to the Sweet 16 two years ago and played in the NIT last season.
The format
Unlike the NCAA Tournament, the CIT does not use a bracket format. This means that second-round matchups are only determined once all the first-round games have been played. The CIT selection committee does the same thing to determine matchups in the quarterfinals and semifinals. The tournament uses this method to minimize both travel costs and missed class time, according to the CIT's official guide.
The teams
1. NJIT Highlanders2. New Hampshire Wildcats3. Eastern Illinois Panthers4. Oakland Golden Grizzlies5. James Madison Dukes6. USC Upstate Spartans7. Bowling Green Falcons8. Saint Francis University Red Flash9. Norfolk State Spartans10. Eastern Kentucky Colonels11. Louisiana-Lafayette Rajin' Cajuns12. Incarnate Word Cardinals13. Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks14. High Point Panthers15. Dartmouth Big Green16. Canisius Golden Griffins17. Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders18. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles19. Cleveland State Vikings20. Western Michigan Broncos21. Kent State Golden Flashes22. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders23. UNC Wilmington Seahawks24. Sam Houston State Bearkats25. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks26. Grand Canyon Antelopes
27. IPFW Mastadons
28. Evansville Purple Aces29. Sacramento State Hornets30. Portland Pilots31. Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks32. Northwestern State Demons
Schedule and results (all times Eastern):
Monday, March 16
NJIT 84 New Hampshire 77
Tuesday, March 17
Eastern Illinois 97, Oakland 91
USC Upstate 73, James Madison 72
Bowling Green 67, Saint Francis 64
Eastern Kentucky 81, Norfolk State 75
UL-Lafayette 83, Incarnate Word 68
Wednesday, March 18
High Point 70, Maryland-Eastern Shore 64
Canisius 87, Dartmouth 72
Texas A&M Corpus Christi 75, Florida Gulf Coast 69
Cleveland State 86, Western Michigan 57
Kent State 68, Middle Tennessee 56
Sam Houston State 87, UNC Wilmington 71
Northern Arizona 75, Grand Canyon 70
Evansville 82, IPFW 77
Sacramento State 73, Portland 66
Thursday, March 19
Tennessee-Martin 104, Northwestern State 79
Second round
Friday, March 20
Eastern Kentucky 66, High Point 65
Saturday, March 21
Canisius 82, Bowling Green 59
UL-Lafayette 71, Sam Houston State 70
Tennessee-Martin 60, USC Upstate 49
Northern Arizona 78, Sacramento State 73
Monday, March 23
N.J.I.T. 80, Cleveland State 77
Evansville 83, Eastern Illinois 68
Kent State 69, Texas A&M-CC 65
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 25
Tennessee-Martin 70, Eastern Kentucky 69
Thursday, March 26
Evansville 89, UL-Lafayette 82
Friday, March 27
Northern Arizona 75, Kent State 74 (OT)
Saturday, March 28
N.J.I.T. 78, Canisius 73
Tuesday, March 31
Evansville 79, UT Martin 66
Northern Arizona 68, N.J.I.T. 61
Thursday, April 2 (Championship)
Evansville 71, Northern Arizona 65
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