2016 CBI Bracket

PITTSBURGH - Duquesne will host Omaha in the first round of the 2016 College Basketball Invitational it was announced Sunday evening.

It will be the Dukes' first post-season appearance under fourth-year head coach Jim Ferry, and first by the program since 2011. Duquesne also made CBI appearances in 2010 and 2011. This is the ninth year for the 16-team tournament.

The game, set for 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16, will be the first post-season home game for DU since the 1994 National Invitation Tournament (first round win over Charlotte and second round loss to Villanova).

Nine current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference (including Duquesne) have participated in the CBI: Duquesne (2010 & 2011), George Washington (2010), Rhode Island (2011), Richmond (2008, 2009 & 2013), St. Bonaventure (2011) and Saint Louis (2010). Davidson participated as a member of the Southern Conference in 2011, George Mason played as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association in 2013 and VCU took the court as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association in 2010. Three current A-10 members have advanced to the Championship Series with VCU defeating Saint Louis in 2010 and George Mason falling to Santa Clara in 2013.

The 2016 CBI will open with eight first round games on Tuesday, March 15, and Wednesday, March 16 (complete tournament bracket).

The CBI is a single-elimination tournament up until the "best-of-three" Championship Series, with all games played at campus sites. After the first round games, the quarterfinal round will take place on Monday, March 21, followed by the semifinal round on Wednesday, March 23. Prior to the semifinals, the remaining teams will be re-bracketed. The Championship Series is a best-of-three in which one team will host two of the three games. Those games will be played on March 28, March 30, and April 1.

Past CBI champions include Tulsa, Oregon State, VCU, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Santa Clara, Siena, and Loyola Chicago. Teams from nearly every conference have participated in the event. Twenty-six teams have used the CBI to springboard to the NCAA Tournament the following year, while another 16 have gone on to the NIT.

ESPN is the official television home of the CBI. ESPNU will televise each game of the best-of-three Championship Series. Mitch Holthus and Sean Harrington will serve as the broadcast team.

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.

Tickets for Wednesday night's CBI opener vs. Omaha may be purchased by clicking here.