MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — West Virginia’s first postseason run in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) will see the Mountaineers host Grand Canyon and head coach Dan Majerle.
The Mountaineers (14-20) will host the Antelopes (20-13) — members of the Western Athletic Conference since 2013, the year the school made the jump from NAIA to Division I — at 7 p.m. Wednesday. No live TV is scheduled for the game. Only the CBI finals are slated for TV coverage on ESPNU.
For West Virginia, it is an opportunity for a young core of players to continue to build off momentum created from their surprising run to the Big 12 tournament semifinals last week in Kansas City.
WVU, the No. 10 seed in the Big 12, upset both Oklahoma and Texas Tech before falling to Kansas.
“I think we grew a lot in this tournament,” WVU guard Chase Harler said. “I’m sure most people didn’t even expect us to get past Wednesday [against Oklahoma] or counted us out [against Texas Tech].
“I think the direction we’re going is the right direction and playing can only build chemistry and make us better for next year.”
Majerle, nicknamed “Thunder Dan” during his 14-year NBA career, mostly with the Phoenix Suns, is 123-71 in his sixth season at Grand Canyon, which is also located in Phoenix.
Grand Canyon advanced to the finals of the WAC tournament this season as the No. 3 seed, before falling to New Mexico State in the finals.
It is the fourth consecutive season Grand Canyon has won at least 20 games and the second straight season playing in the CBI.
“I think everybody is excited, because no one wanted this season to end,” WVU guard Jermaine Haley said. “We’re going to get ready for next week and go and win that tournament.”
The Mountaineers continued to improve late in the season, despite the fact the team had lost four starters to either injuries or dismissals.
This will be the Mountaineers’ sixth consecutive postseason appearance, one that only came after WVU coach Bob Huggins met with the team prior to the Big 12 tournament and discussed the option to play in the CBI.
“I’m proud of my teammates for continuing to fight after what we went through this year,” Harler said. “Hopefully that continues into the CBI tournament.”
Added guard Jordan McCabe after the loss against Kansas: “We’re going to play in the CBI and we’ll have to rally when we get back home,” he said. “Right now, I think it’s good to let this sit in your stomach and burn. Once we get back, we’ll have to rally and go win the CBI, because what we can take from this is the fact that we know we can beat everybody in the Big 12.”
Grand Canyon’s schedule included competitive losses against Seton Hall, Nevada and Utah, as well as a blowout loss against Texas.
Grand Canyon’s best player is 6-foot-3 junior guard Carlos Johnson, a transfer from Washington, who averages 14.6 points per game.
The CBI was formed in 2007, with past champions including Pitt, Oregon State, Oregon and Loyola Chicago.
A West Virginia school official confirmed it will cost WVU $40,000 to host the first-round game. It would cost another $40,000 to host a second-round game if the Mountaineers beat the Antelopes.
A portion of that money goes to the visiting team for travel costs.
A possible second-round game would be against either Coastal Carolina or Howard, on March 25.
The tournament semifinals are scheduled for March 27 or 28, with the finals beginning April 1.
The CBI finals are a best-two-of-three series with each team getting at least one home game. West Virginia announced Sunday night that tickets to the game are $10 and parking at the WVU Coliseum is free.
CBI glance
First Round
Tuesday, March 19
CS Northridge (13-20) at Utah Valley (23-9), 9 p.m.
Wednesday, March 20
Grand Canyon (20-12) at West Virginia (14-20), 7 p.m.
Howard (17-16) at Coastal Carolina (15-16), 7 p.m.
Stony Brook (24-8) at South Florida (19-13), 7 p.m.
Southern Mississippi (20-12) at Longwood (15-17), 7 p.m.
Central Michigan (23-11) at DePaul (15-15), 8 p.m.
UAB (20-14) at Brown (19-11), 7 p.m.
Loyola Marymount (20-11) at California Baptist (16-14), 10 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Monday, March 25
Grand Canyon-West Virginia winner vs. Howard-Coastal Carolina winner, TBA
Stony Brook-South Florida winner vs. CS Northridge-Utah Valley winner, TBA
Central Michigan-DePaul winner vs. Southern Mississippi-Longwood winner, TBA
Loyola Marymount-California Baptist winner vs. UAB-Brown winner, TBA
Semifinals
Wednesday, March 27
TBD teams reseeded
Thursday, March 28
TBD teams reseeded
Championship Series
(Best-of-3)
Monday, April 1
TBD
Wednesday, April 3
TBD
Friday, April 5
TBD, if necessary
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