3rd postseason college basketball tournament to start this March

[Da Coach]

The producer of some early-season tournaments announced Wednesday it will start a 16-team postseason event that will augment the NCAA and NIT.

The College Basketball Invitational will be staged this March by The Gazelle Group, based in Princeton, N.J., which runs the 2K Sports College Hoop Classic that benefits Coaches vs. Cancer and the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3110361&campaign=rss&source=NCAAHeadlines

Interesting that the first 2 rounds, and the semifinals are single elimination games played at campus sites. But the finals will be a best 2 out of 3 series with games 1 & 3 played at the higher seeded team's home court, and game #2 played at the other team's homecourt.

[tornado]

Will they invite the teams that are first or second round exits from the NCAA?

[amckillip]

This sounds like an interesting comment, would anyone turn down the NIT to play in it? (I can't imagine anyone turning down an NCAA Bid)

[Les is More]

sounds very interesting. please keep posted!

[Da Coach]

The article does not make it clear-- does the NCAA approve of this tournament?
If not, they could prohibit NCAA member teams from participating in it, like they threatened to do with the NIT.
Also, the 2 out of 3 series for the title is such a unique way to do it for college basketball, I wonder if the NCAA would try to keep them from implementing that plan.

[IlliBraves]

Perhaps it would be a hodge podge of D-1, II and III schools. Perhaps even NAIA?

[TheAsianSensation]

Not the worst idea. After watching the snubs last year for the NIT....with about 350 D1 teams now, sending 1 of 3 to the postseason is valid enough. There's enough deserving teams to make it work.