Championship Series Set for CBI

PRINCETON, N.J. - The Inaugural College Basketball Invitational is set for the Championship, Series, which will begin on March 31, 2008 at 8:00 pm ET. The series will feature two former Missouri Valley Conference rivals when the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (23-13) go head-to-head with the Bradley Braves (20-15).

---- FINALS SCHEDULE----

Game 1 March 31st #4 Bradley @ #2 Tulsa, 8:00 PM EDT	Game 2 April 2nd #2 Tulsa @ #4 Bradley, 8:00 PM EDT
Game 3 April 4th #4 Bradley @ #2 Tulsa, 8:00 PM EDT

Click HERE for an updated bracket.

The Braves reached the Championship Series with a 96-85 win over #1 seed Virginia. Bradley beat Cincinnati and Ohio before taking down UVA.

Tulsa advanced to the first ever CBI Finals with a 73-69 win over #3 seed Houston. The Golden Hurricane also beat Miami (OH) and Utah on their way to the finals.

Teams in the inaugural CBI field have wins over the following teams:

UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, California, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Villanova, West Virginia, Syracuse, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Xavier, Drake, UNLV, Temple, New Mexico, George Mason, South Alabama, Kent State, San Diego, Siena, Cornell,

Here's what they're saying about the CBI:

"It's definitely a privilege to be playing deep into March." -- Virginia Senior, Sean Singletary

"You know what, we love the CBI! We're very appreciative of the CBI and have a chance to lace up and play again, so we're excited about that." -- Valparaiso Head Coah, Homer Drew

"This CBI is going to be something special and its nice to be one of the first 16 teams invited to this. It was like a national championship environment in here. This is going to be a great tournament and we are just proud to be part of it." -- Houston Head Coach, Tom Penders

"The University of Virginia's all-ACC point guard took down Old Dominion with a flury that sent electricity surging though the crowd...The roar from the fans rivaled the loudest heard in the JPJ's two seasons." -- Richmond Times Dispatch

"We're just happy to be having this opportunity to continue to play. We said all along we got in this tournament and that there is a championship to be won and we're getting in to win it, so we've taken the big step and gotten in the finals" -- Bradley Head Coach, Jim Les

I think it's a much-needed event because we down sized the NIT. I think competition is good. (The CBI) has been very professionally run." Nevada Head Coach, Mark Fox

"I hope this tournament lasts and expands, just to say 'good job' to not-so-rich teams that give everything they have and get good results. For some hard-working kids, it's just a pat on the back, and we all like those." -- Springfield News Sun

"Tulsa won its second consecutive game in the inaugural CBI and it seemed like 5,764 fans at the Reynolds Center were more than happy to catch a new strain of March Madness." -- Tulsa World

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