Happening Hoops CBI/CIT Bracketology #1 2022
By: Ethan Hennessy
Welcome to the first installment of the 2021-22 CBI/CIT Bracketology. If you are new here I predict the fields of the College Basketball Invitational and CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournaments. This is my fifth season doing this. I have a career 87% accuracy rate (111/128).
Yearly breakdown
2018: 75% (27/36)
2019: 93% (39/42)
*2020: 88% minimum *It was later determined three days from Selection Sunday (at the time of the cancelations) I had already correctly predicted 37 of the would be 42 teams confirmed in the fields.
2021: 100% (8/8)
CBI (16 teams)
Fordham Region (East)
- Fordham (8-5 Atlantic 10)
- Fairfield (8-5 MAAC)
- Towson (9-4 CAA)
- Brown (8-8 Ivy)
Oral Roberts Region (Midwest)
- Oral Roberts (9-6 Summit)
- Southern Utah (9-5 Big Sky)
- Akron (8-3 MAC)
- Youngstown State (8-5 Horizon)
East Carolina Region (South)
- East Carolina (9-3 American)
- UNCG (8-4 SoCon)
- Presbyterian (8-7 Big South)
- Howard (6-6 MEAC)
California Baptist Region (West)
- California Baptist (10-3 WAC)
- San Jose State (6-5 Mountain West)
- San Diego (7-6 WCC)
- UC Davis (6-4 Big West)
CIT (26 teams most years)
East
- Navy (8-4 Patriot)
- Loyola MD (6-6 Patriot)
- Buffalo (6-6 MAC)
- Marist (6-6 MAAC)
- Manhattan (8-3 MAAC)
- UMass Lowell (8-5 America East)
- Delaware (10-5 CAA)
Midwest
- St. Thomas (8-7 Summit)
- Western Illinois (10-5 Summit)
- Indiana State (8-6 Missouri Valley)
South
- Stephen F Austin (8-4 WAC)
- Troy (10-6 Sun Belt)
- Louisiana Monroe (8-6 Sun Belt)
- Nichols State (8-6 Southland)
- Samford (10-3 SoCon)
- Middle Tennessee (9-4 CUSA)
- College of Charleston (8-5 CAA)
- Longwood (7-5 Big South)
- North Alabama (7-6 ASUN)
West
- Utah Valley (10-4 WAC)
- Portland (9-6 WCC)
- Air Force (8-4 Mountain West)
- UTEP (7-6 CUSA)
- CSU Fullerton (7-5 Big West)
- CSUB (5-5 Big West)
- UC Riverside (6-4 Big West)
Happening Hoops 
12 Comments
How is Jacksonville State not being considered for anything right now when they are the second team in the ASUN, BUT YET UNA is being considered? Please make it make sense!
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They have been in and out of first place in the standings when I’ve been sitting down to do the bracketology posts. They usually are tied for the best record in the conference and since the regular-season champions of leagues get NIT auto bids I haven’t been putting them in. They are still in consideration though and I could see it happening if they don’t win the regular season.
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JSU got elevated to the NCAA auto bid after Bellarmine beat Jacksonville today at Freedom Hall for the ASUN title. So if the NIT passes up on anything else in the ASUN (likely), the CIT and CBI will have plenty to choose from. Liberty, Jacksonville, Florida Gulf Coast, all 20+ game winners in regular season. The only oddity is Florida Gulf Coast (FGCU). They fired their coach last week but will let him coach if FGCU is invited to a tournament.
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FGCU and Liberty have both said they are done for the season, and will not play anymore. I expect Bellarmine to continue playing somewhere (figuring it out if that will be CBI or Basketball Classic), Jacksonville I would think would want to continue playing. I have been in contact multiple times with them but was told they are still deciding.
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Liberty just announced they are declining all invitations and have completed their season. They now leave the ASUN for C-USA in 22-23.
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Yes they told me they won’t be participating in postseason play.
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It seems possible that that there will be one or two AAC teams, other than ECU (now 12-11) in the CBI this year. Temple is one possibility. Tulane might be another. Wichita State is 12-9, and their young HC could really benefit from playing in the CBI this year.
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I agree with the Wichita situation. I think they would benefit from it. With these types of tournaments in leagues like the American though it is not who are the best teams right after the NIT teams it is whose administration supports investing the resources to play in the tournaments.
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Have you heard about the new D1 32-team tournament? It seems to be a replacement for the CIT. https://www.thebasketballclassic.com/Press_Release.pdf
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Yes, I did hear about that. It should be good. Always love to see more teams in the postseason.
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Missouri State looking at NIT. I NOTICED YOU MENTIONED INDIANA STATE. Even though the MO ST BEARS beat them bad twice and finished #2 in the conference standings. They won the CIT in the past.
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