The College Basketball Invitational — or CBI to the layperson — is a day old, and Loyola Chicago is already basking in the quarterfinal glow. The Ramblers rallied past Rider and won 62-59 on Tuesday.
Tonight, Oral Roberts will host UC Santa Barbara, and six other first-round CBI games will take place. Before things kick into high gear, here's your chance to get to know each team a little better...
Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Record: 18-14
Coach: Scott Sutton
Win-loss in last 10 games: 6-4
Notable wins/losses: 77-68 win over Tulsa in season opener; 74-58 win over North Dakota State; 85-53 loss at Oklahoma; 78-63 loss at Memphis.
Players to watch
- G Obi Emegano - Six-foot-3 junior averages 18.2 points per game, good enough for 42nd in the country. His free throws attempted (244) and free throws made (193) are fifth and sixth in the nation, respectively.
- G Aaron Young - Sophomore from Edmond Memorial has become a defensive specialist late in the season. Teaming up with Emegano on defense has caused headaches for opponents in recent weeks.
Notes: Golden Eagles lost to North Dakota State in the semifinals of the Summit League Tournament. ... ORU is 8-3 in games decided by one to five points. The Golden Eagles are 10-11 in all other games.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Record: 19-13
Coach: Bob Williams
Win-loss in last 10 games: 8-2
Notable wins/losses: 74-60 win over UC Davis (Feb. 26); 54-51 win over UC Irvine (March 1); 69-59 loss to Kansas (Nov. 14); 80-73 loss to SMU (Dec. 8).
Players to watch
- C Alan Williams - Senior post player averages 17.2 points per game. His 11.9 rebounds per game are a national best.
- G Michael Bryson - Six-foot-4 junior has had nine games of 20 points or better this season. He's also failed to reach double digits in scoring 10 times.
Notes: Gauchos are 31st in the country with 491 assists. ... They also take care of the ball with only 352 turnovers this season, good enough for 38th nationally.
Delaware State Hornets
Record: 18-17
Coach: Keith Walker
Win-loss in last 10 games: 6-4
Notable wins/losses: 63-57 win over North Carolina Central (March 13); 72-65 win over Wake Forest (Nov. 28); 99-71 loss to Arkansas (Nov. 21); 83-70 loss to Oregon (Dec. 20.)
Players to watch
- G Amere May - Senior wing is 6-3 and averages the nation's sixth-best points-per-game total (21.0). His 544 field goal attempts are second only to Joseph Young at Oregon.
- C Kendall Gray - The 6-10 big man has a national best 401 rebounds this season. His 11.8 rebounds per game is a tenth of a rebound beyond Williams of UC Santa Barbara.
Notes: The Hornets defense is ragged, allowing 72.3 points per game. ... Delaware State has also turned the ball over 469 times this season, and it averages 13.4 turnovers a game.
Radford Highlanders
Record: 21-11
Coach: Mike Jones
Win-loss in last 10 games: 6-4
Notable wins/losses: 73-66 win over High Point (Jan. 22); 67-64 win over High Point (Feb. 3); 76-49 loss to Georgetown (Dec. 13); 64-46 loss to Richmond (Nov. 14).
Players to watch
- G Javonte Green - His 15.1 points-per-game total is a best, and 8.8 rebounds — at 6-4 — are a Highlanders best, too.
- G R.J. Price - Despite 12.6 points per game, the 5-11 senior shoots 36.6 percent (133 of 363) from the field.
Note: Fourteen of Radford's 21 wins were against teams with a RPI of 202 or worse.
Vermont Catamounts
Record: 18-13
Coach: John Becker
Win-loss in last 10 games: 7-3
Notable wins/losses: 71-57 win over Stony Brook (Jan. 10); 57-48 win over Stony Brook (Feb. 7); 64-52 loss to Harvard (Dec. 6); 57-56 loss to Yale (Dec. 18).
Player to watch
- F Ethan O'Day - The 6-9 junior is the only Catamount averaging more than 10 points per game (12.0). His 68 blocks are also in the top 40 in the country.
Notes: Vermont is 11th in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (38.3 percent). ... The Catamounts holding opponents to 57.7 points per game is 13th best in the country.
Hofstra Pride
Record: 20-13
Coach: Joe Mihalich
Win-loss in last 10 games: 6-4
Notable wins/losses: 66-65 win over Stony Brook (Nov. 21); 68-56 win over NC-Wilmington (Jan. 3); 76-64 loss to NC State (Nov. 17); 91-83 loss to Northeastern (Jan. 14).
Players to watch
- G Juan'ya Green - The Philadelphia native, at 6-2, averages 17.1 points and 6.5 assists per game (ninth in the country). He did have a triple-double (15 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) against LIU Brooklyn on Dec. 28.
- F Ameen Tanksley - Another Philly native, his 16.3 points per game is second best for the Pride.
Notes: Hofstra's 78.4 points per game is 12th best in the nation. ... Green has made 200 free throws this season, fourth best in the country.
Gardner-Webb Bulldogs
Record: 20-14
Coach: Tim Craft
Win-loss in last 10 games: 5-5
Notable wins/losses: 89-84 win over Purdue (Dec. 22); 72-71 win over High Point (March 6); 91-65 loss to Arizona (Dec. 2); 58-46 loss to Old Dominion (Nov. 24).
Players to watch
- F Jerome Hill - Scores 18.9 points per game. His 344 free throws attempted and 216 free throws made are the tops in the country.
- G Tyler Strange - A true facilitator at 7.4 assists per game, fifth best in the country.
Notes: The Bulldogs are ninth in the nation with 551 total assists. .. Gardner Webb also makes 8.1 3-pointers per game, ranking 30th in the country in that category.
Colorado Buffaloes
Record: 15-17
Coach: Tad Boyle
Win-loss in last 10 games: 4-6
Notable wins/losses: 62-56 win over UCLA (Jan. 2); 64-58 win over Stanford (Feb. 15); 68-54 loss to Arizona (Jan. 15); 74-49 loss to Utah (Jan. 7).
Player to watch
- F Josh Scott - Missed eight games this season, but the 6-10 junior is averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game.
Notes: The Buffaloes' leading scorer, Askia Booker, will not play for Colorado in the CBI. The senior guard dealt with sore hips all season. ... Twelve of Colorado's 17 losses came against teams ranked inside the RPI top 95.
Pepperdine Waves
Record: 18-13
Coach: Marty Wilson
Win-loss in last 10 games: 5-5
Notable wins/losses: 67-61 win at BYU (Jan. 8); 67-62 win at St. Mary's (Jan. 31); 78-76 loss to Gonzaga (Jan. 15); 72-61 loss at Iowa (Nov. 24).
Players to watch
- F Stacy Davis - Averages 15.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He also makes 47.5 percent (162 of 341) of his field goals and 81.5 percent (154 of 189) of his free throws.
- G Shawn Olden - Former Union standout is the Waves' third leading scorer at 9.4 points per game.
Notes: Pepperdine's roster features zero seniors. ... The Waves lead the nation in 3-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 26.3 percent from deep.
Seattle Redhawks
Record: 16-15
Coach: Cameron Dollar
Win-loss in last 10 games: 6-4
Notable wins/losses: 76-67 win over UC Davis (Dec. 30); 58-52 win over New Mexico State (Jan. 17); 87-75 loss to Eastern Washington (Dec. 6); 87-46 loss to UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 4).
Player to watch
- G Isiah Umipig - The Cal State Fullerton transfer is averaging 17 points and 3.6 3-pointers per game.
Notes: Dollar is a former UCLA guard. ... Redhawks have only committed 519 fouls this season, 48th best in the country.
Stony Brook Seawolves
Record: 23-11
Coach: Steve Pikiell
Win-loss in last 10 games: 8-2
Notable wins/losses: 59-56 win over Albany (Feb. 17); 71-61 win over Western Kentucky (Nov. 25); 79-61 loss at Providence (Dec. 13); 78-52 loss at Cincinnati (Dec. 2).
Player to watch
- F Jameel Warney - Averages 16.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. He leads the nation in double-doubles with 23.
Note: Seawolves were seconds away from the NCAA Tournament, until Albany's Peter Hooley nailed a 3-pointer with four seconds left to give the Great Danes the America East Tournament championship.
Mercer Bears
Record: 18-15
Coach: Bob Hoffman
Win-loss in last 10 games: 6-4
Notable wins/losses: 75-72 win over Chattanooga (Jan. 29); 69-64 win over East Tennessee State (Feb. 28); 75-62 loss at Colorado State (Nov. 23); 86-77 loss at Georgia (Dec. 27).
Player to watch
- G Ike Nwamu - Averages 14.7 points per game.
Notes: Hoffman graduated from Oklahoma Baptist in 1979. ... Junior guard Phillip Leonard is a former Union standout that averages 8.2 points per game.
Eastern Michigan Eagles
Record: 21-13
Coach: Rob Murphy
Win-loss in last 10 games: 6-4
Notable wins/losses: 85-59 win over Toledo (March 6); 45-42 win over Michigan (Dec. 9); 66-46 loss at Michigan State (Dec. 17); 78-63 loss to Buffalo (Feb. 18).
Player to watch
- G Raven Lee - Six-foot-3 sophomore posts 16.7 points per game, good for second in the Mid-American Conference.
Notes: Eagles specialize in steals, swiping a nation's 11th-best 8.6 takeaways per game. ... Eastern Michigan is 12th in the country with 802 free throw attempts.
Louisiana Monroe Warhawks
Record: 21-12
Coach: Keith Richard
Win-loss in last 10 games: 6-4
Notable wins/losses: 71-68 win over Georgia Southern (Feb. 7); 74-65 win over UAB (Nov. 15); 65-45 loss at Georgia State (Dec. 30); 61-56 loss at Florida (Nov. 21).
Player to watch
- F Tylor Ongwae - The Kenya native makes 84.9 percent (101 of 119) of his free throws while averaging 13.5 points per game. He, however, struggles from deep, making only 23.6 percent (17 of 72) of his 3-point attempts.
Notes: The Warhawks won nine homes games and nine road games this season. ... Opponents shoot 37.9 percent against ULM, which ranks sixth in that category.
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