March 25, 2008
Contact: gazelle@gazellegroup.com, 609-921-1300

CBI Announces Semifinal Matchups

PRINCETON, N.J. - The inaugural College Basketball Invitational is set for the semifinals on Wednesday, March 26th. At 7:00 PM ET, the Virginia Cavaliers (17-15) will host the Bradley Braves (19-15) followed by the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (22-13) hosting the Houston Cougars (24- 9) at 9:00 PM ET.

Both games will be televised on Fox College Sports, as well as on DirecTV (Ch. 669).

---- SEMIFINALS ----

Click HERE for an updated bracket.

The Cavaliers reached the semifinals with an 80-76 win over Old Dominion. Senior guard Sean Singletary paced his squad with 22 points as Virginia rallied for the win. Singletary tied the game at 75-75 with a three-pointer and followed that up with a traditonal "three-point play" after a steal with :04 seconds left for the game-winner.

"I could tell no difference between the crowd today and when 15,000 people have been in here," said Virginia Head Coach Dave Leitao. Over 6,400 fans were on hand for the game.

Bradley moves into the next round after a 79-73 win over Ohio. The Braves came back from a 14-point deficit to win. Andrew Warren led the way for the Braves with 22 points.

Over 6,400 fans in Tulsa saw the Golden Hurricane pick up a 69-60 win over Utah. Ben Uzoh led Tulsa with 22 points as it jumped out to a 35-20 halftime lead, going 17-for-17 at the foul line. In the other quarterfinal, Houston beat Valparaiso, 91-67, as guard Robert McKiver had 33 points and guard Kelvin Lewis added a career-high 28 points.

"This is the tournament of the future," said Houston Head Coach Tom Penders said. "It is going to be a huge tournament. The Gazelle Group, that runs this tournament, does most of the first-class, big time, in-season tournaments. To be affiliated with them and be the first school to commit to them was a huge step in helping us schedule.

The College Basketball Invitational is produced by The Gazelle Group in Princeton, NJ. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces a number of recognized events, including the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer, the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic and the Legends Classic. For more information, please visit gazellegroup.com