Canisius Men's Basketball Earns CBI Berth, Hosts Jacksonville State
The Canisius College Golden Griffins, the 2018 MAAC co-regular-season champions, learned Sunday night that they will play host to Jacksonville State in the first round of the 2018 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Wednesday, March 14 in the Koessler Athletic Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
This marks the first time Canisius has been selected to play in the CBI, and it also marks the fifth time in the last six seasons where the Blue and Gold have earned a postseason berth. Last year, the Griffs lost to Samford 78-74 on the road in the first round of the 2017 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
Tickets for Wednesday's game will be on sale through the Canisius ticket office starting at 10 a.m., Monday morning. Season ticket holders will have until noon on Wednesday to reserve their seats. Tickets are priced at $15 (group rate at $10) and can be purchased by calling the ticket office at (716) 888-TIXX, or by going online to ticketmaster.com.
The contest between Canisius and Jacksonville State will be the first meeting between the two programs. The Gamecocks, out of the Ohio Valley Conference, are 21-12 on the year. The team posted an 11-7 league record and saw its run in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament end in the semifinal round after a 70-63 loss to eventual tournament champion Murray State. Jacksonville State is led by senior guard Malcolm Drumwright, who earned Second Team All-OVC honors after he averaged 12.9 points and 3.6 assists per game. Junior forward Jason Burnell adds 10.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and was named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team.
The Griffs are 21-11 overall and the team posted a 15-3 mark in MAAC play this season. The 21 regular-season wins are the most for the program since 1993-94, and the 15 conference victories is a new program record. Canisius had three players earn All-MAAC honors, the most since 2006-07, with senior Jermaine Crumpton and sophomore Isaiah Reese becoming for the Canisius duo to be named All-MAAC First Team since 1995-96. Crumpton was named the MAAC's Co-Player of the Year, making him the fourth Griff in school history to win that award, while freshman Takal Molson was honored as the 2018 MAAC Rookie of the Year. Molson, the first Buffalo native to be named the MAAC's Rookie of the Year, also garnered a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie Team, making him just the 11th player in school history to earn that acknowledgement.
Wednesday's game between Canisius and Jacksonville State will be broadcast live on ESPN3, and the audio call will be available on Buffalo's WECK 1230-AM and 102.9-FM, GoGriffs.com and the TUNEIN app.
In its 11th year, the CBI is a 16-team event which features single-elimination action through the finals, which uses a best-of-three series to determine a champion. Canisius is the third MAAC school to earn a berth into the CBI field, joining Siena and Rider. Siena won the 2014 CBI championship. Quinnipiac also played in the CBI in 2012, two years before the Bobcats joined the MAAC.
The College Basketball Invitational is produced by the Gazelle Group of 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 Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, Legends Classic, and the Gotham Classic. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37
th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.