Georgetown's disappointing season ended yesterday with a loss to Villanova in the Quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament, dropping the Hoyas record to 15-18. Though the sub .500 record eliminates the Hoyas from consideration to receive an invite to the NIT, it is possible that Georgetown's phone could ring on Sunday with a bid to the CBI, the CIT or the new Vegas 16.
The CBI, or College Basketball Invitational, is a 16-team tournament that originated in 2008. Here are some basics, thanks to our blog friends at Northwestern who know a lot about failing to make the Dance:
Where did the CBI come from and what is it?
The CBI is a 16-team tournament that started in 2008 and takes teams that the NCAA Tournament and NIT don't want. Basically, it's a chance to play postseason basketball.
What's the selection process?
Teams can be under .500 and how teams are playing at the end of the year is a factor in selection.
What's the format?
It's single elimination until the finals, which are best two-out-of-three!!!!! Games are all held on campus sites.
Wait, so what's the catch?
Glad you asked! To host a CBI game, teams have to pay $50,000, and that fee goes up to $75,000 for the right to host semifinals. It ain't cheap, but it can give young teams that are showing improvement a chance to keep playing.
Have any historically good programs ever played in the CBI?
Yes! Among them: Virginia, Washington, Utah, Stanford, VCU, Oregon State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Texas and Texas A&M.
Do some programs think they're above the CBI and refuse to play?
Yes. Last year, Indiana stuck up its nose at the CBI, with athletic director Fred Glass saying, "We're Indiana. We don't play in the CBI."
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The CIT, or College Insider.com Tournament, was created in 2012 and has a field of 32 teams. The field tends to be mid-major heavy, and really, this is a Tournament named after a damn website.
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As an alternative to the CBI or CIT, the kind of casual sounding "Vegas 16" Tournament will commence this season in, of all places, Las Vegas! The Vegas 16 will also cost programs $50,000, and all four games will be played the weekend of March 26th.
Per CBS Sports:
And it'll be similar to the NIT in that it'll feature 16 schools that missed the NCAA Tournament competing in a single-elimination tournament. The difference is that the entire event will be held at one locatation (Cox Pavilion on UNLV's campus) and over a span of just five days (March 26-30). And considering the field will be announced shortly after Selection Sunday (March 13), fans of the schools involved should have plenty of time to arrange travel to Las Vegas to attend the games, which, organizers said, is by design.
"While the NCAA Tournament continues to rule Madness, there's been a real need to create an affordable, attractive event at a destination location for teams who have had a terrific season yet were unable to qualify [for the NCAA Tournament]," said Brooks Downing, president and CEO of bd Global, the Kentucky-based sports marketing firm that will run the event. "Our research indicates we will attract high-quality programs with this simplistic approach. This will be a premium event in one premium location."
Exactly how the games will be televised remains unclear.
But organizers said they believe most games, if not all games, will be broadcast nationally.
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Though the Vegas 16 organizers have said they'd prefer teams with above .500 records, perhaps getting a splashy name like Georgetown in its inaugural field would be of interest to them.
The question, of course, is whether any of the above is of interest to us. What say you?