Stags, Bobcats headed to CBI
The Fairfield and Quinnipiac University men’s basketball teams have both accepted invitations to play in the Ro College Basketball Invitational.
The 16th College Basketball Invitational will take place March 23-27 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. The semifinals and championship game will be broadcast on ESPN2. The opening and quarterfinal rounds will be broadcast on FloHoops.
Quinnipiac, the MAAC regular season champion, will face Evansville (16-17) in the first round at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Bobcats enter with a record of 24-9 and are led by guard Matt Balanc (18.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 apg), the MAAC Player of the Year.
“We’re excited to have our season continue at the 2024 College Basketball Invitational in Florida,” said Quinnipiac’s Tom Pecora, the MAAC Coach of the Year. “An invitation to any postseason tournament is an honor, and I’m glad that our success during the regular season is being recognized. We look forward to showcasing our talent further down in Daytona Beach against other excellent college basketball programs.”
This will mark Quinnipiac’s second appearance in the CBI. The Bobcats played in the tournament in 2012, falling at Penn in the opening round by the final score of 73-64.
Fairfield will play Little Rock (21-12) in the first round on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The Stags (22-12), coming off a 68-63 loss to St. Peter’s in the MAAC tournament final, are led by guards Caleb Fields (16.4 ppg) and Jalen Leach (16.2 ppg).
Little Rock is led by OVC Coach of the Year Darrell Walker and features three All-OVC players as well as 2024 OVC Rookie of the Year Jaylen Crocker-Johnson. It will be the first meeting between the Stags and Trojans.