PRINCETON, N.J. –The Drake University men's basketball team has accepted an invitation to the College Basketball Invitational held from March 19-23 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. In their first round matchup, the top-seeded Bulldogs will play No. 16 seed Purdue Fort Wayne at 11 a.m. (CT) on Saturday, March 19.
 
The 2022 Roman CBI tips off with the first four first round games on Saturday, March 19 with the remaining four First Round games on Sunday, March 20. The 1uarterfinal round is on Monday, March 21, followed by the semifinal Round on Tuesday, March 22. The Championship Game takes place on Wednesday, March. 23. All games will be played at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.
 
The 14th Roman College Basketball Invitational returns to the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach featuring a new format. Prior to 2021, the CBI consisted of a 16-team field with games played on campus sites. Once the tournament was down to two teams, a best-of-three series was played, moving between the two home campuses, to determine the champion. The 2020 CBI was canceled due to the pandemic but returned in 2021 with eight teams playing a single-elimination tournament in Daytona Beach, with was won by Pepperdine with an 84-61 decision over Coastal Carolina. This year, the CBI is back at the Ocean Center, the field returns to 16 teams, seeded 1-16 for the first time, and it will retain the single-elimination format introduced last year.
 
ESPN2 and Flo Hoops will be the broadcast home for the Roman CBI. Flo Sports will broadcast the first three days of the tournament and ESPN2 will air the Semifinals and Championship game.

Past CBI champions include Tulsa, Oregon State, VCU, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Santa Clara, Siena, Loyola Chicago, Nevada, Wyoming, North Texas, South Florida, and Pepperdine. Teams from nearly every conference have participated in the event. Thirty-one teams have used the CBI to springboard to the NCAA Tournament the following year, while another 20 have gone on to the NIT.

Tickets for the CBI are now available at TicketMaster.com. Tickets may also be purchased at the Ocean Center box office on CBI game days.

For more information, log onto www.CollegeBasketballInvitational.com.