CBI tournament cancelled due to coronavirus outbreak

The outbreak of Covid-19 across the world has forced sports organizers to re-think things, and one of those reassessments is the status of the College Basketball Invitational for 2020. And as of this afternoon, the Gazelle Group that runs the event has decided to cancel the postseason college basketball event for this season.

The CBI is a 16-team event that takes place on the home courts of teams that choose to enter. The best two-out-of-three format between the final two teams makes it unique, as it’s the only event in college basketball where teams ever play each other in consecutive games. Teams do pay a fee to enter the event, and hope to recoup some of that money via charging for game tickets. But with the recent restrictions, that would make entering the event even more prohibitive for many schools.

The event has taken place each season since 2008, with Power Five teams such as Oregon, Oregon State, and Pittsburgh listed as previous champions. Last year the South Florida Bulls beat the DePaul Blue Demons in three games to take home the trophy.

We’ll work to keep you abreast of any changes in the sports landscape as the consequences of the coronavirus outbreak continue across most American sports.