Editor: The following is part of a press release from goredbirds.com
(Daytona Beach, FL) – The Illinois State men’s basketball will continue into the postseason for the first time since the 2016-17 season, as the program has accepted a bid to play in the 17th College Basketball Invitational (CBI) presented by Purple.
“We’re very excited to accept this bid to play in the CBI,” said head coach Ryan Pedon. “Having the ability to extend our season is a great thing for our program for a multitude of reasons. First, it will give our players an opportunity to play more basketball together. The chemistry in our program is very special, and this tournament will provide another shared experience for the group. Secondly, being invited to play postseason basketball represents growth for our program. It has been nine seasons since we have been invited to play in a postseason tournament. I am thankful to our administration for their support and we look forward to representing our school and conference in Daytona Beach.”
The 2025 CBI will be a single-elimination, fully-bracketed men’s basketball postseason tournament featuring 16 teams from across the country competing for a championship in Florida. The field will consist of teams not selected for the NCAA Tournament. The tournament will have its opening rounds on March 22 and 23, the quarterfinals on March 24, the semifinals on March 25, and the championship on March 26.
The Redbirds will find out the bracket including their first opponent in the tournament on Sunday, March 16.
With a 19-14 overall record, the Redbirds have the most wins in a season since 2016-17, and the third-most wins in a season over the last 12 years.
The last post-season tournament for ISU was in the 2016-17 season where the squad competed in the NIT. The 2013-14 Redbird team also competed in the CBI, winning a pair of games over Morehead State and Texas A&M before falling to Siena. The following year – in 2014-15 – the team advanced to the NIT after falling in the Arch Madness Championship game.
Tickets for the 2025 College Basketball Invitational went on sale at Ticketmaster.com on January 20th. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Ocean Center box office on CBI game days.
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Opening round of #ArchMadness is today. The only quarterfinal we know is @UIC_MBB v @RacersHoops tomorrow at 2:30. We look at their contrasting styles heading into the @MVCsports tournament. #FatherHarry
Don't look now, but @BustingBrackets tells us some of the hottest teams coming into #ArchMadness aren't the teams at the top of the bracket. @ValpoBasketball, @SIU_Basketball & @UNImbb shouldn't be overlooked. #FatherHarry
ICYMI: @BelmontMBB & @BradleyUMBB are two of the best at being committed to development and succeeding at the same time. #ArchMadness
Congrats to @RogerPowellJr, @CoachJonny_B & @NdotSmitty being named to the Ben Jobe Award finalist list. Well deserved!
