CLEVELAND — Cleveland State had a chance at its second NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance in three years, but unfortunately lost out after being beaten by Northern Kentucky in last week's Horizon League finals.
Instead, the Vikings will settle for a berth in the third-tier College Basketball Invitational, which will take place in Daytona Beach, Florida.
This will be CSU's first appearance in the CBI, which has been around since 2008. The Vikes are seeded ninth in the 16-team tournament and will face 8-seed Eastern Kentucky (20-13) Sunday afternoon.
Picked to finish seventh in the conference when the season began, Cleveland State overcame a rough start to finish 21-13 under first-year coach Daniyal Robinson, good enough for a tie for second in the Horizon League. The Vikings are led by first-team all-conference star Tristan Enaruna, an Iowa State transfer who is averaging 15.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Last season, CSU lost in the Horizon League semis but still earned a bid to the second-tier NIT, where they lost in the first round to Xavier. Youngstown State earned the conference's NIT slot this year after winning the regular-season title.
Tipoff for Sunday's contest is set for noon from the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. All CBI games will take place at the arena.