College Basketball Invitational

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College Basketball Invitational
Current season or competition: 2008 College Basketball Invitational

Sport	Basketball
Founded	2007
Inaugural season	2008
No. of teams	16
Country(ies)	United States
Most recent champion(s)	Tulsa Golden Hurricane
TV partner(s)	Fox College Sports
Official website	http://www.gazellegroup.com/cbi/
Related competitions	NCAA Tournament National Invitation Tournament
Founder	The Gazelle Group

The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007-08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI selects 16 teams that are not selected for the NCAA Tournament. The CBI competes directly with the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) for teams.^[1]

The 2008 College Basketball Invitational was the first new postseason tournament since the Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament in 1974. The opening round was played on March 18, 2008 and March 19, 2008, with the second round being played on March 24, 2008. The semifinals will take place on March 26, 2008. The championship is a best-of-three series with games being played on March 31, April 2 and April 4, 2008, if necessary. The bracketing will be done in east, west, south and midwest regions.^[2]

On March 4, 2008, the CBI announced an exclusive television partnership with Fox College Sports to broadcast the inaugural CBI. In addition, games will be available in local markets on Fox Sports Net and DirecTV.^[3] The games can also be viewed on the official website for a fee, which varies depending on the different packages. Currently, a single game costs $6.95, a 24-hour pass costs $9.95, and a full tournament subscription costs $12.95.^[4]