Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball to Play at Tennessee State in CIT
March 11, 2016 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State men's basketball team will visit Tennessee State at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) Tuesday for the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The game will be played on campus at the Gentry Center in Nashville.
Tuesday's contest will pit two of the biggest turnaround stories in college basketball against each other. Tennessee State's improvement from a 5-26 mark a year ago to 20-10 this year ranks as the largest turnaround in the country. Ball State's improvement from 7-23 to 19-13 ranks fourth on that list.
Tennessee State tied for the second-best mark in the Ohio Valley Conference at 11-5. The Tigers were upset in the quarterfinals of the OVC Tournament by eventual champion Austin Peay.
Ball State shared the Mid-American Conference West Division championship for the first time since 2009 with a 10-8 league mark. The Cardinals suffered a first-round loss to Miami in the MAC Tournament. The program is making its first postseason appearance since 2002.
Tuesday's meeting will be the third all-time between the teams, which played an ESPN Bracket Buster game in February 2006 in Muncie and a return game in Nashville the next season. Tennessee State won both of those meetings.
The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to play in the CIT's second round March 18-20. Matchups for the second round will be determined after first-round games are played.
The first three rounds will be streamed live online via SIDEARM Sports, while the semifinals and finals will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
2016 CIT Schedule
First Round: March 15 (7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET)Â -- Ball State at Tennessee State (streamed by SIDEARM Sports)
Second Round: March 18-20 (streamed by SIDEARM Sports)
Quarterfinals: March 22-24 (streamed by SIDEARM Sports)
Semifinals: March 27 (CBS Sports Network)
Championship: March 29 (CBS Sports Network)
