2023 DISCOUNT TIRE COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL PREVIEW

Saturday, March 18 thru Wednesday, March 22 at the Ocean Center (Daytona Beach, Fla.)

Schedule:
Here is the schedule and corresponding seeds for First Round games (all times Eastern and can be watched on FloSports):

Game 1 – Saturday, March 18 (11:00am)

No. 1 Indiana State vs. No. 16 USC Upstate

• Sycamores won 22 games for the first time since 2013-2014 in head coach Josh Schertz’s second year
• USC Upstate enters the CBI after finishing 16-15 and reaching the Big South semi-finals

Game 2 – Saturday, March 18 (1:00pm)

No. 4 Southern Utah vs. No. 13 North Alabama

• Southern Utah owns a 22-2 record after reaching the WAC championship game
• Lions recorded their best record 18-14 as a Division I Program, first postseason since leap to D1 in 2018

Game 3 – Saturday, March 18 (3:30pm)

No. 2 San Jose State vs. No. 15 Southern Indiana 

• At 20-13, the Spartans come in off an impressive run reaching the Mountain West semifinals 
• Screaming Eagles finished 16-16 in their first year as a Division I program 

Game 4 – Saturday, March 18 (5:30pm)

No. 3 Charlotte vs. No. 14 Western Carolina 

• At 18-14, the 49ers completed back to back winning seasons for first time since ‘12-’13, ‘13-’14 seasons 
• Western Carolina reached the semifinals of the SoCon tournament, falling to Furman in OT 

Game 5 – Sunday, March 19 (11:00am)

No. 8 Eastern Kentucky vs. No. 9 Cleveland State  

• Eastern Kentucky finished 20-13 this season, making it their second 20 win season in the last three years 
• Vikings advanced to championship game in Horizon League with a 21-13 record 

Game 6 – Sunday, March 19 (1:00pm)

No. 5 Duquesne vs. No. 12 Rice   

• Dukes posted 20 wins for just third time in past 42 years. One-season turnaround is best in program history 
• Owls enter the CBI for the second year in a row with a 18-15 record after reaching the C-USA Quarterfinals for the third straight year 

Game 7 – Sunday, March 19 (3:30pm)

No. 7 Tarleton vs. No. 10 Radford

• First postseason tournament as a Division I program, Tarleton comes in with a record of 17-16 
• Highlanders enter with a 19-14 record after reaching the semifinals of the Big South Tournament

Game 8 – Sunday, March 19 (5:30pm)

No. 6 Stetson vs. No. 11 Milwaukee

• Stetson’s Jalen Blackmon named ASUN Newcomer of the Year, All-ASUN First Team after averaging 15.2 ppg 
• Panthers enter with a 21-11 record in Head Coach Bart Lundy’s first season

Monday, March 21 – Quarterfinal Round
1:00pm, 3:30pm, 6:00pm, 8:30pm on FloSports 

Tuesday, March 22 – Semifinal Round
7:00pm, 9:00pm on ESPN2

Wednesday, March 23 – Championship Game
5:00pm on ESPN2

New to the CBI for 2023:
The Gazelle Group will be distributing $40,000 of NIL funding (consistent with NCAA rules and relevant laws).  The NIL funding amounts will be distributed based upon the following:

Champion: $25,000

Runner- Up: $10,000

Each Semi- Finalist: $2,500

Event Website:
Event notes, team game notes, event bracket and more can be found at the event website, CollegeBasketballInvitational.com.

Tickets:
Tickets may be purchased in advance at Ticketmaster.com or at the Ocean Center box office on CBI game days.

About the Gazelle Group
The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized college sports events, such as the Empire Classic, Legends Classic, the Gotham Classic, the Sunshine Slam, the College Basketball Invitational, the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, the Barstool Sports Invitational as well as on-campus events at Duke, Kentucky, Nebraska and other institutions across the country. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit www.gazellegroup.com.

About Discount Tire
Discount Tire is a leading independent retailer of tires and wheels. Founded in 1960 by Bruce Halle, the company serves customers at more than 1,100 stores in 37 states. The company does business under the trade name Discount Tire in most of the U.S. and America’s Tire in parts of California. Discount Tire acquired Tire Rack, a direct-to-consumer tire retailer, and distributor, in 2021. Treadwell, Discount Tire’s proprietary online tire-buying guide, uses decades of data and individual driving habits to recommend the right tires for each driver’s unique needs. Discount Tire is a primary sponsor of the No. 2 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series. For more information, visit www.discounttire.com.