FAU men's team accepts invitation to College Basketball Invitational
While the FAU men’s basketball team was eliminated from the Conference USA tournament, the season isn’t over, as they accepted the offer to play in the College Basketball Invitational.
After losing to the UAB Blazers Thursday night, the Owls still have some unfinished business before their season ends at the CBI, an opportunity head coach Dusty May is ecstatic about.
“We're excited to continue our season in the CBI," May said. "Our program has earned this opportunity and we look forward to playing quality competition."
The invitational tournament is scheduled to take place at the Ocean Bank Center in Daytona Beach from March 19-23. It remains to be seen who the Owls will face in the first round as the CBI will apparently be announcing it “soon” according to FAU’s press release.
This will be FAU's first time in the CBI in program history and just the fourth-ever appearance in a postseason tournament besides the conference tourney.
The first time was In 2002 when the Owls made the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Alabama in the first round. They wouldn’t make another one until 2011 when they were in the National Invitation Tournament and then the CollegeInsiders.com Tournament in 2019. Both tourneys saw FAU eliminated in the first round to Miami (FL) and Charleston Southern, respectively.
Winning a game in the CBI would give the program its third-ever 20-win season in total and just the second time since the Owls have been an NCAA Division I team.
If done, it will be one of the laundry list of accomplishments this season along with four straight winning seasons and having the most conference wins in a season with 11.
As announced by the CBI, the first round and quarterfinal round will be televised on FloSports. ESPN2 will carry the semifinals and championship game.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU men to play in CBI
