The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) will not hold its postseason tournament this year, as announced by the Gazelle Group. The decision comes amid a shifting landscape in college basketball, with the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas gaining popularity among non-NCAA qualifiers. The National Invitational Tournament continues, though many programs are opting out of postseason play.
The Gazelle Group, which organizes the College Basketball Invitational, stated on Thursday morning that the event will not take place this year. In a social media announcement, the group wrote, “Due to circumstances beyond our control, the CBI will not be held this year. We will see you next year!” Efforts to obtain further details from the organization were unsuccessful at the time.
This cancellation marks the second such postseason tournament to end operations in recent years, following the College Insider Tournament's cessation last year. The CBI, which debuted in the 2007-08 season, traditionally featured mid-major and low-major men's basketball teams that did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament or the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). It ran annually except during the 2020 COVID-19 season, with ESPN2 broadcasting the event for the past four years and providing name, image, and likeness (NIL) funding since 2023. Illinois State claimed the title in last year's 11-team field.
Meanwhile, the College Basketball Crown has emerged as an attractive option for teams missing NCAA bids. Held in Las Vegas and broadcast on Fox, the 16-team event offers players compensation tied to their team's performance. Nebraska won the inaugural tournament last year, and the 2024 edition is scheduled for April 1-5.
The NIT persists, but high-major programs have increasingly declined invitations, favoring the Crown or forgoing postseason altogether. Factors include roster challenges from the transfer portal, which opened on March 23 last spring and shifts to April 7 this year—immediately after the national championship game.
USC coach Eric Musselman indicated his 18-14 team is unlikely to participate, citing limited personnel and recent form: “I would say probably not, but I haven’t had in-depth conversations with admin yet about that. I would assume we’re not going to play, just based on number of bodies and how we played the last eight games.” Minnesota's Niko Medved, whose 15-17 squad faces similar fatigue, added, “(The players have) been through a lot. They’re beat up that way. So are a lot of teams. But it’s cool that maybe we’ll earn the right to have that opportunity, but let’s let the dust settle a little bit and see where it goes.”
