MAAC Supports New Postseason Opportunities
MAAC Sports
PRINCETON,
N.J. ?The Gazelle Group, producers of the 2K Sports
College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE
Classic and the Legends Classic, is pleased to announce the inaugural postseason
College Basketball Invitational (CBI), which will be played this upcoming March.
This event will feature 16 teams not playing in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and
will secure an important opportunity for more deserving programs to have a
post-season experience. When the CBI begins play, 113 Division I men’s
basketball teams will be enjoying the postseason, up from 97 in 2007.
The
College Basketball Invitational will be a single-elimination tournament, up
until the Championship Series, with all games being played at campus sites. The
Championship Series will be a best of three series, home-away-home, in which the
higher seed will get the first and last (if necessary) home games.
Bracketing will be done geographically into four regions
of the country (East, West, South,
Midwest) to
minimize missed class time. Brackets will be balanced competitively within each
region. This process will take place after the NCAA Tournament field is
announced. Television arrangements will be announced as they are confirmed.
"We think this is a promising turn of events given the contraction of the NIT a
year ago and the impact that had on mid-major selections,'' Metro Atlantic
Athletic Conference commissioner Rich Ensor said Wednesday. "We'll be supportive
of the development of other options for postseason play.
The
postseason College Basketball Invitational is produced by The Gazelle Group in
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 Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs.
Cancer, the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic and the Legends Classic. For more
information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.