2023 DISCOUNT TIRE COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS RECAP

Championship Game Wednesday, March 22 5:00 at the Ocean Center ON ESPN2 (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
Game 13 

No. 4 Southern Utah       106    

No. 8 Eastern Kentucky  108  2OT

The first semifinal game of the night turned into an instant classic. The Colonels came out on top 108-106 in 2OT. It was Eastern Kentucky played in their third consecutive overtime game of the CBI. The Colonels found themselves trailing by 11 midway through the second half but once again found a way to regroup. Isaiah Cozart continued his dominant performance this week with 31 points, 13 rebounds and the game winning free throws in 2OT. Devontae Blanton had 24 for EKU, Tayshawn Comer scored 15 and Cooper Robb added 14. Cameron Healy was red hot for Southern Utah off the bench scoring 23 points including seven three pointers. Drake Allen scored 22 including a game tying three in 2OT. Dee Barnes had 17 off the bench and the highlight off the night at the end of the first overtime with an inbounds alley-oop to tie the game. Eastern Kentucky will meet Charlotte tomorrow at 5:00 in the Discount Tire CBI Championship game.

Game 14

No. 3  Charlotte           63

No. 10 Radford            56

Charlotte pulled away from Radford in the second half in a hard-fought battle in the second semifinal of the night. The 49ers got a balanced effort all around including 14 points from Junior guard Brice Williams, 13 points from sophomore guard Lu’cye Patterson and 11 points from sophomore guard Isaiah Folkes. Charlotte held Radford to just 24 first half points. Bryan Antoine had a team high 19 for Radford in the loss. Charlotte improves to 21-14 on the season while advancing to the CBI Championship game tomorrow at 5:00 vs Eastern Kentucky.

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:

After today’s games, Southern Utah and Radford will be receiving $2,500 each to their NIL funds for advancing to the Semifinals.

Tomorrow, Eastern Kentucky and Charlotte will be playing for the title along with the NIL funding of $25,000 awarded to the Champion. Our Runner-Up will receive $10,000 in NIL funding.

Event Website:
Event notes (ADD LINK TO MEDIA PAGE ONCE POSTED), 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 (link attached) 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.