The University of Texas at Austin men’s basketball team is not eligible to play in the upcoming NCAA tournament. The Longhorns were not even invited to play in the NIT.
But they have accepted a bid to the College Basketball Invitational or CBI.
So what is the CBI? According to the event's website, it's a single-elimination tournament for sixteen teams "that deserve a postseason experience."
The 16-team field consists of teams not selected for the NCAA Tournament. Teams are invited based upon performance during their conference and non-conference schedules, as well as how well the team is playing at the end of the regular season.
This is the sixth year of the tournament. Games are played at various campuses across the country. Texas will play Houston in Houston in the first round of the tournament on Wednesday.
It’s the first time since 1977 that no Texas team was invited the NCAA tournament.
But some of the NCAA tournament games will be played in Austin. Basketball fans can watch a handful of second and third-round games at the Frank Erwin Center.
The first game is between Miami and Pacific at 1:10 p.m. on Friday. Tickets are being sold for $180 and $225 and will get you into the four Friday and two Sunday games.
Each of the eight teams in town for the tournament games will have an open practice on Thursday. These are free and open to the public. The first one starts at noon.