The 2024 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of NCAA Division I basketball teams. This was the first CIT contested since 2019. The 2020 and 2021 CITs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the CIT was replaced by The Basketball Classic. Neither The Basketball Classic nor the CIT were contested in 2023. However, CollegeInsider.com announced in early March 2024, that the CIT was to be revived in a 16-team pod-based format for the 2023–24 postseason.[1] Ultimately, only nine teams agreed to play in the 2024 edition.[2]
| Season | 2023–24 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 16 planned 9 accepted | ||||
| Finals site | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, Virginia | ||||
| Champions | Norfolk State (1st title) | ||||
| Runner-up | Purdue Fort Wayne (1st title game) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
| ||||
| Winning coach | Robert Jones (1st title) | ||||
| MVP | Christian Ings (Norfolk State) | ||||
| Attendance | 11,006 (average: 1,376 per game) | ||||
| |||||
Four classics were contested during the tournament, each named in honor of a legendary college basketball coach: Lou Henson, Jim Phelan, Hugh Durham and John McLendon. The winner of each classic was awarded a trophy, and a classic most valuable player was named.[1]
Norfolk State won their first-ever CIT title, defeating Purdue Fort Wayne, 75–67, after overcoming an 18-point deficit.
Participating teams
editThe teams listed below accepted an invitation to the 2024 CIT.[2]
Note: Team records are before playing in the tournament.
| Team | Conference | Record | Appearance | Last Bid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian[3] | WAC | 15–17 | 2nd | 2018 |
| Alabama A&M[4] | SWAC | 11–22 | 1st | – |
| Austin Peay[5] | ASUN | 19–15 | 3rd | 2018 |
| Bowling Green[6] | MAC | 20–13 | 3rd | 2015 |
| Norfolk State[7] | MEAC | 22–11 | 5th | 2017 |
| Purdue Fort Wayne[8] | Horizon | 21–12 | 5th | 2018 |
| Tarleton State[9] | WAC | 23–9 | 1st | – |
| Texas A&M–Corpus Christi[10] | Southland | 21–11 | 5th | 2017 |
| Texas Southern[11] | SWAC | 16–16 | 2nd | 2019 |
Although the initial announcement that the tournament would be contested stated that all the teams would be seeded, no seeds were assigned to teams on the published schedule. However, Norfolk State indicated they are the no. 1 seed,[7] and they received a bye to the semifinals and hosted both games in which they played.
Schedule
edit| Session | Game | Date | Time* | Matchup | Score | Television | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Henson Classic | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | March 19 | 7:00 pm | Texas Southern at Tarleton State | 71–82 | ESPN+ | 1,426 | [12] |
| 2 | 9:00 pm | Abilene Christian vs. Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | 73–63 | 615 | [13] | |||
| 2 | 3 | March 20 | 7:00 pm | Abilene Christian at Tarleton State | 59–86 | 1,576 | [14] | |
| Jim Phelan Classic | ||||||||
| 3 | 4 | March 20 | 7:00 pm | Purdue Fort Wayne at Bowling Green | 77–75 | ESPN+ | 1,219 | [15] |
| Hugh Durham Classic | ||||||||
| 4 | 5 | March 20 | 8:00 pm | Alabama A&M at Austin Peay | 81–71 | ESPN+ | 1,386 | [16] |
| John McLendon Classic (CIT Semifinal) | ||||||||
| 5 | 6 | March 23 | 4:00 pm | Alabama A&M at Norfolk State | 81–66 | Spartan Showcase | 1,522 | [17] |
| Semifinal | ||||||||
| 6 | 7 | March 25 | 7:00 pm | Purdue Fort Wayne at Tarleton State | 73–72 | ESPN+ | 1,686 | [18] |
| Championship | ||||||||
| 7 | 8 | March 27 | 7:00 pm | Purdue Fort Wayne at Norfolk State | 67–75 | Spartan Showcase | 1,576 | [19] |
| *Game times in EDT (UTC−4). | ||||||||
Bracket
edit| First round March 19 | Quarterfinals March 20 | Semifinals March 23–25 | Championship March 27 | ||||||||||||
| Norfolk State | 81 | ||||||||||||||
| Alabama A&M | 66 | ||||||||||||||
| Alabama A&M | 81 | ||||||||||||||
| Austin Peay | 71 | ||||||||||||||
| Norfolk State | 75 | ||||||||||||||
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 67 | ||||||||||||||
| Abilene Christian | 73 | ||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M–CC | 63 | ||||||||||||||
| Abilene Christian | 59 | ||||||||||||||
| Tarleton State | 86 | ||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 71 | ||||||||||||||
| Tarleton State | 82 | ||||||||||||||
| Tarleton State | 72 | ||||||||||||||
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 73 | ||||||||||||||
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 77 | ||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 75 | ||||||||||||||
Game summaries
edit- All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)
First round
editESPN+
|
March 19
7:00 p.m. |
| Texas Southern 71, Tarleton State 82 | ||
| Scoring by half: 26–36, 45–46 | ||
| Pts: Stroud, Wysinger 18 Rebs: Cisse 8 Asts: Cisse 6 |
Pts: Williams 21 Rebs: Gaddy 10 Asts: Moussa 6 | |
| Tarleton State advances to CIT quarterfinals | ||
Wisdom Gymnasium
Stephenville, Texas Attendance: 1,426 Referees: Robert Bissant, Wes Ford, Randal Anders |
ESPN+
|
March 19
9:00 p.m. |
| Abilene Christian 73, Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 63 | ||
| Scoring by half: 36–33, 37–30 | ||
| Pts: DeGruy 16 Rebs: Bettiol 10 Asts: Steele 4 |
Pts: Roberts 22 Rebs: Dease 10 Asts: Humphrey 4 | |
| Abilene Christian advances to CIT quarterfinals | ||
Wisdom Gymnasium
Stephenville, Texas Attendance: 615 Referees: Joe Wilbert, Tommy Johnson, Jon Stigliano |
Quarterfinals
editESPN+
|
March 20
7:00 p.m. |
| Abilene Christian 59, Tarleton State 86 | ||
| Scoring by half: 25–37, 34–49 | ||
| Pts: Bettiol 14 Rebs: Bettiol 8 Asts: Madden 3 |
Pts: Gaddy 16 Rebs: Innocenti 8 Asts: Innocenti 6 | |
| Tarleton State wins Lou Henson Classic and advances to CIT semifinals | ||
Wisdom Gymnasium
Stephenville, Texas Attendance: 1,576 Referees: Wes Ford, Randal Anders, Tommy Johnson |
ESPN+
|
March 20
7:00 p.m. |
| Purdue Fort Wayne 77, Bowling Green 75 | ||
| Scoring by half: 43–31, 34–44 | ||
| Pts: Jackson 18 Rebs: Mulder 8 Asts: Bello 5 |
Pts: Hill 26 Rebs: Spurgin 8 Asts: Spurgin 5 | |
| Purdue Fort Wayne wins Jim Phelan Classic and advances to CIT semifinals | ||
ESPN+
|
March 20
8:00 p.m. |
| Alabama A&M 81, Austin Peay 71 | ||
| Scoring by half: 42–31, 39–40 | ||
| Pts: Moodie 24 Rebs: Tucker 13 Asts: Tucker 4 |
Pts: Jones 21 Rebs: Witt 7 Asts: Jones 4 | |
| Alabama A&M wins Hugh Durham Classic and advances to CIT semifinals | ||
F&M Bank Arena
Clarksville, Tennessee Attendance: 1,386 Referees: James Gibson, Joshua Pitto, Kevin Driver |
Semifinals
editSpartan Showcase (stream)
|
March 23
4:00 p.m. |
| Alabama A&M 66, Norfolk State 81 | ||
| Scoring by half: 31–28, 35–53 | ||
| Pts: Downey, Riley 15 Rebs: Blackwell 6 Asts: Tucker 6 |
Pts: Betrand 16 Rebs: Darden, Fields 8 Asts: Darden 8 | |
| Norfolk State wins John McLendon Classic and advances to CIT final | ||
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall
Norfolk, Virginia Attendance: 1,522 Referees: Scott Arbogast, Christopher Bennett, Tony Dawkins |
ESPN+
|
March 25
7:00 p.m. |
| Purdue Fort Wayne 73, Tarleton State 72 | ||
| Scoring by half: 36–41, 37–31 | ||
| Pts: Bello 21 Rebs: Mulder 15 Asts: Jackson 4 |
Pts: Moussa 16 Rebs: Smith 7 Asts: Moussa 4 | |
| Purdue Fort Wayne advances to CIT final | ||
Wisdom Gymnasium
Stephenville, Texas Attendance: 1,686 Referees: Randal Anders, Jon Stigliano, Tommy Johnson |
Final
editSpartan Showcase (stream)
|
March 27
7:00 p.m. |
| Purdue Fort Wayne 67, Norfolk State 75 | ||
| Scoring by half: 41–31, 26–44 | ||
| Pts: Roberts 18 Rebs: Roberts 8 Asts: Bello 8 |
Pts: Ings 17 Rebs: Fields Jr. 7 Asts: Thomas 5 | |
| Norfolk State wins CIT championship | ||
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall
Norfolk, Virginia Attendance: 1,576 Referees: Steven Perry Jr., Kendall B. Ridley, Antoine Dawkins |
Awards
editThe CIT presented the awards shown below.
| Award | Recipient | School |
|---|---|---|
| CIT MVP | Christian Ings[2] | Norfolk State |
| Lou Henson Classic MVP | KiAndre Gaddy[20] | Tarleton State |
| Jim Phelan Classic MVP | Jalen Jackson[21] | Purdue Fort Wayne |
| Hugh Durham Classic MVP | ||
| John McLendon Classic MVP | Daryl Anderson[22] | Norfolk State |
References
edit- ^ a b "CIT | CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament". CollegeInsider.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024.
- ^ a b c "CIT | CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament". CollegeInsider.com. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Fink, Ray (March 17, 2024). "Cats to Continue Season in CIT". Abilene Christian University Athletics. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Howard, Brian (March 17, 2024). "Alabama A&M Accepts CIT Bid, Visits Austin Peay on Wednesday". Alabama A&M Bulldogs. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Austin Peay Accepts CIT Bid, Hosts Alabama A&M Wednesday". Atlantic Sun Conference. March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Edmond, Kyle (March 17, 2024). "BGSU Men's Basketball Accepts Bid to CIT, Will Host Purdue Fort Wayne Wednesday". Bowling Green State University Athletics. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ a b "Spartans Receive CIT Bid As No. 1 Seed; Host Semifinal on Saturday". Norfolk State University Spartans. March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Men's Basketball to Play in the CIT on Wednesday at BGSU". Purdue University Fort Wayne Mastodons. March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Loewe, Andrew (March 17, 2024). "Tarleton State Earns Bid As Host School for CIT". Tarleton State University Athletics. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Men's Basketball to Play in CIT Tuesday 8 p.m. CT against Abilene Christian". Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi Islanders. March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Men's Basketball to Participate in CIT Tuesday Night at Tarleton State". Texas Southern University Athletics. March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Williams' 21 Help Tarleton State Beat Texas Southern 82–71 in CIT". The Associated Press. March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "DeGruy Scores 16 As Abilene Christian Beats Texas A&M–CC 73–63 in CIT". The Associated Press. March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ "Tarleton State Wins 86–59 over Abilene Christian in CIT". The Associated Press. March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Jackson Has 18 As Purdue Fort Wayne Beats Bowling Green 77–75 in CIT". The Associated Press. March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Moodie's 24 Lead Alabama A&M over Austin Peay in CIT 81–71". The Associated Press. March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Norfolk State Heads to CIT Championship with 81–66 Win over Alabama A&M". CBS Sports. March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "Bello's 21 Lead Purdue Fort Wayne over Tarleton State 73–72 in CIT Semifinals". The Associated Press. March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ "Norfolk State beats Purdue Fort Wayne 75-67 for the CIT championship". The Associated Press. March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Loewe, Andrew (March 20, 2024). "Tarleton State Routs Abilene Christian to Win the Lou Henson Classic Championship, to Host the CIT Semifinals Monday Night". Tarleton State University Athletics. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Mulder's Late Hoop Lifts 'Dons to 77-75 CIT Win at Bowling Green". Purdue University Fort Wayne Mastodons. March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Lehmbeck, Alex (March 23, 2024). "Anderson Catches Fire in Second Half; Spartans Dispatch Alabama A&M, 81–66, to Secure Spot in CIT Championship Game". Norfolk State University Spartans. Retrieved March 24, 2024.