KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team announced today that it has accepted a bid to continue their season as the Broncos will participate in the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT). WMU will host a first round game on Wednesday, March 18 at 7 p.m. in University Arena against an opponent to be determined.
Fans can purchase tickets and obtain more information for Wednesday's game on WMUBroncos.com under the “Tickets” link, or by calling the Bronco Ticket Office at 1-888-4-WMU-TIX (269-387-8092).Tickets for the CIT game will be sold at 2014-15 regular season prices, with chairback seats sold for $21, lower reserved seats sold for $18, and upper reserved for $15. Season ticket holders will have their seats held until Tuesday at 12 p.m. before they are released to the public. WMU students will also be able to attend the game for free by presenting a valid Bronco ID.
The CIT features a 32-team field composed of non-BCS programs not selected to participate in the NCAA or NIT fields. All 31 games are played on campus sites. The CIT uses an unbracketed model where future round opponents are determined by the results of the previous round, ensuring geographic stability. First round games will be played on March 17-18 and will be followed by second round games on March 20-21. The quarterfinal round will be played on March 24-25, and the semifinals will take place on March 31. The championship game is scheduled for April 2. Both semifinal games as well as the championship game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
This will be the Broncos' second appearance in the CIT, with WMU hosting the first two rounds of action in the 2011 Tournament. The Broncos defeated Tennessee Tech 74-66 at home on March 16, 2011 before falling to Buffalo 49-48 in a second round game played at University Arena.
This will mark the third straight season in which the Broncos have played in the postseason and the sixth time under head coach Steve Hawkins. Hawkins has led the Broncos twice to the NCAA Tournament (2004 & 2014), once to the NIT (2005), once to the College Basketball Invitational (2013) and now twice to the CIT (2011, 2015). WMU is 4-5 in postseason games under Hawkins.
The Broncos are 20-13 this season, having reached the second round of the 2015 Mid-American Conference Tournament held at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. It is the third straight 20-win season for the Broncos, making Hawkins the only coach in the history of the program to lead the team to three consecutive 20-win seasons. WMU features three All-MAC selections in 2014-15, including Second Team All-MAC guard David Brown, All-MAC Honorable Mention forward Connar Tava, and MAC All-Freshman team member and conference Freshman of the Year candidate Thomas Wilder.
