2008 College Basketball Invitational
The 2008 College Basketball Invitational was a single-elimination tournament of 16 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I teams that did not participate in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament or the 2008 National Invitation Tournament. The inaugural tournament began on March 18 on campus sites and ended on April 4, won by the University of Tulsa, defeating their former Missouri Valley Conference rivals Bradley University in the best-of-three final. Tulsa center Jerome Jordan was the tournament MVP. The CBI was the first newly created post-season tournament since the Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament in 1974.
The opening round was played on March 18 and 19, 2008 with the second round being played on March 24 and the semifinals on March 26. The championship was a best-of-three series with games being played on March 31, April 2, and April 4 of that year. The bracketing was done in East, West, South and Midwest regions. Following the quarterfinals, the teams were reseeded.
Besides Tulsa and Bradley,, Cincinnati,,,,, Ohio, Richmond,,, UTEP, Valparaiso, Virginia and Washington also participated in the tournament. New Mexico State turned down a CBI bid for financial reasons. Alabama, Seton Hall, Texas Tech, and Wake Forest turned down invitations as well for other various reasons.Bracket
