Four MAAC Teams to Play in the 2013 CIT
MAAC Sports
With reports from Canisius, Fairfield, Loyola and Rider Sports Information
Edison, N.J. - Four MAAC teams will represent the league in the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
Canisius College accepted an invitation to participate in the CIT, ending the program's 17-year postseason drought. The team's 18 wins are the most for the program since 2000-01, the 11 MAAC wins are the most for the program since 1998-99 and the Golden Griffins' 11 home wins in the Koessler Athletic Center are the most in school history. The Griffs' first-round game will be played Wednesday, March 20 in the Koessler Athletic Center against an opponent to be announced. Game time is set for 7 p.m. This will be the program's first postseason game since the Griffs played Utah March 14, 1996, in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament It will be Canisius' first home postseason game since March 23, 1995, when the team defeated Washington State in the Memorial Auditorium for a berth into the NIT Final Four.
Fairfield University accepted a bid to the CIT, marking the fourth straight season in which the Stags will play in a postseason tournament. The appearance will also be Fairfield's third in the CIT over the last four seasons. Fairfield also played in the 2011 National Invitation Tournament. The Stags will play a first-round game in the CIT either Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday next week, with the exact date being announced when the official pairings become available on Sunday. The Stags advanced to the 2012 CIT semifinals under head coach Sydney Johnson, defeating Yale University, Manhattan College, and Robert Morris University before falling to Mercer University, the eventual tournament champion. The Stags also appeared in the 2010 CIT and defeated George Mason University on the road before losing at Creighton University in the second round. Fairfield set an NCAA Division I postseason record by overcoming a 27-point second-half deficit to defeat George Mason in overtime, 101-96. Fairfield brings a 19-15 overall record into the tournament after advancing to the 2013 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship semifinals.
Loyola University Maryland is headed to the postseason for the second year in a row, and the Greyhounds will host a game in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Tuesday, March 19, in Reitz Arena. Loyola's opponent will be announced soon for the game on Tuesday that will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. on the Evergreen campus. It will be Loyola's first NCAA Division I postseason men's basketball game to be played at home. The Greyhounds are in the midst of their second-straight 20-win season with a 21-11 mark through 32 games. It marks the first time in the program's Division I history (since 1981-1982) that Loyola has won 20 games in back-to-back seasons. Overall, it is the first time since the late 1940s that the team has accomplished the feat. Loyola won 20 or more in three straight seasons, culminating with a school-record 25 victories in 1948-1949.
Rider University also accepted an invitation to the CIT and will play at an opponent to be announced in the first round of the CIT either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. This is Rider's fourth postseason tournament in the last six years. Rider played Northern Iowa in the CIT in 2011, and played Liberty in the CIT in 2009. In 2008, Rider played Old Dominion in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Rider won its final five games of the regular season to finish in second place at 12-6 in the MAAC.
In 2009, the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament was created as a 16-team event. It expanded to 24 teams in 2011 and is now a 32-team postseason event, with invitations extended only to teams outside of the BCS power conferences. The tournament consists of 31 games with the teams bracketed geographically in an effort to minimize travel and limit class time missed. The official announcement of the field will be made following the announcements of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship and the National Invitation Tournament fields.
For the first time, the CIT Championship game will be broadcast live in high-definition on the CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, April 2. Dave Baker and Kyle Macy, the television voices of the University of Kentucky basketball on The Big Blue Sports Network, will anchor the CIT coverage.