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NIT, CBI Spark Confusion by Inviting the Same Program to Both Postseason Tournaments

UC Riverside has a busy March ahead, evidently.

Dan Lyons

UC Riverside Highlanders guard Barrington Hargress (24) shoots the ball against UCLA Bruins guard Will McClendon (4) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
UC Riverside Highlanders guard Barrington Hargress (24) shoots the ball against UCLA Bruins guard Will McClendon (4) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Editors’ note, March 17, 9 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to reflect that UC Riverside has chosen to play in the NIT this postseason.

UC Riverside earned a bid to the men's NIT, after finishing 21–12 and in third place of a strong Big West conference. The Highlanders are set to face No. 2 seed Santa Clara on Tuesday, March 18 to begin NIT play.

There's one bit of confusion surrounding Riverside's NIT bid, however. They were also announced as a participant in the CBI, another annual postseason tournament.

The CBI announced its 12-team field, with the Highlanders earning a bye to the quarterfinals, where they are scheduled to play the winner of Northern Arizona vs. Queens.

UCR was initially included in brackets for both events:

Riverside initially announced that it had accepted the CBI invitation with a post to X and a news release, both of which have since been deleted.

After a few hours of confusion, the program cleared up the situation early Monday morning, announcing that it will in fact play in the NIT, and will not be included in the CBI field.

"Prior to UCR being selected for the NIT, it was announced earlier that the team would be competing in the 2025 Purple College Basketball Invitational Tournament (CBI), which the Highlanders were extremely excited about. However, UCR will officially compete in this year's 2025 NIT and face Santa Clara on Tuesday, March 18," the statement reads.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to extend what has been a special season by competing in this year's NIT," said athletic director Wesley Mallette. "As we continue to build our program at UCR, garnering the attention of tournament committees is an honor and to receive multiple postseason invitations is indicative of our program's growth. This is an exciting time and a testament to head coach Mike Magpayo's leadership and the hard work and talent of our student-athletes, coaches and staff."

Naturally, college hoops fans are having a blast with the situation on an eventful Selection Sunday.

Meanwhile, the CBI has updated its bracket, and will now feature an 11 team field. Florida Gulf Coast slides down the bracket into UCR's spot, while Jacksonville and Cleveland State will no longer face off in the quarterfinals. Cleveland State will now face the Queens-NAU winner, initially slotted to play the Anteaters. The change also means that the first-round Illinois State-Presbyterian matchup now is now a de facto quarterfinal, with the winner advancing to the semifinals.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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