CBI 2023: Tournament Bracket, Schedule, Format and Men's Teams to Watch

Just because a team doesn't qualify for the NCAA tournament—or the NIT for that matter—doesn't mean its season is over. The College Basketball Invitational is an opportunity for some of those teams that didn't make the Big Dance to still earn some hardware.

The CBI is going into its 15th year of existence and will have 16 teams invited to this year's tournament, which is set to take place at Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida from March 18-22.

Past winners of the tournament include teams like Loyola Chicago, Nevada, North Texas and Wyoming, which have all used it as a launching pad to being NCAA tournament mainstays.

And that's what many of the teams will be hoping to achieve in 2023, in addition to winning some postseason honors.

Here's the schedule for the 2023 CBI along with some of the top teams to watch in the tournament.

2023 CBI Schedule

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CONWAY, SC - NOVEMBER 18: head coach Ron Sanchez of the Charlotte 49ers signals to his players in the first half during a second round game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational college basketball game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at HTC Center on November 18, 2022 in Conway, South Carolina. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

First Round: March 18-19

Game 1: No. 1 Indiana State vs. No. 16 USC Upstate: March 18, 11:00 a.m.

Game 2: No. 8 Eastern Kentucky vs. No. 9 Cleveland State: March 19, 11:00 a.m.

Game 3: No. 4 Southern Utah vs. No. 13 North Alabama: March 18, 1:00 p.m.

Game 4: No. 5 Duquesne vs. No. 12 Rice: March 19, 1:00 p.m.

Game 5: No. 2 San Jose State vs. No. 15 Southern Indiana: March 18, 3:30 p.m.

Game 6: No. 7 Tarleton vs. No. 10 Radford: March 19, 3:30 p.m.

Game 7: No. 3 Charlotte vs. No. 14 Western Carolina: March 18, 5:30 p.m.

Game 8: No. 6 Stetson vs. No. 11 Milwaukee: March 19, 5:30 p.m.

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Quarterfinals: March 20

Game 9: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner: 12 p.m.

Game 10: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner: 2 p.m.

Game 11: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner: 4:30 p.m.

Game 12: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner: 6:30 p.m.

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Semifinals: March 21

Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner: 7 p.m.

Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner: 9 p.m.

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Championship: March 22

Game 15: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner: 5:30 p.m.

Indiana State (22-12)

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TERRE HAUTE, IN - NOVEMBER 30: Indiana State Sycamores guard Courvoisier McCauley (23) advances the ball during the college basketball game between the Drake Bulldogs and the Indiana State Sycamores on November 30, 2022, at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It would be hard to hard to start anywhere else other than Indiana State.

The Sycamores are the tournament's top seed following an impressive season as one of the better teams in the Missouri Valley conference.

Coach John Schertz's team struggled toward the back end of the season but looked like one of the best teams in the conference during a stretch in which it won seven consecutive games.

However, the team lacked consistency as much of the season was bit of a roller-coaster ride.

Indiana State is led by graduate transfer Courvoisier McCauley, who is averaging 15.7 points per game and had three games in which he scored at least 25 points, including two 30-point games.

He has the type of scoring ability that could lead the Sycamores to the title

Southern Utah (22-12)

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 10: Tevian Jones #55 of the Southern Utah Thunderbirds takes the ball upcourt during the first half of a game against the Cal State Fullerton Titans at Michelob ULTRA Arena on December 10, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

The fourth seed in the tournament, Southern Utah is an exciting team with one of the most explosive offenses in the country.

At 83.5 points per game, Southern Utah had the No. 5-ranked scoring offense in all of Division I, trailing only Gonzaga, Toledo, Oral Roberts and Arizona, teams that are all competing in the better-known tournaments.

The Thunderbirds are so good on that end of the floor that they managed to keep pace with Kansas at Allen Field House during an early-season meeting in November. They trailed by just two points at the half and ended up losing to the reigning national champions 82-76.

With four double-digit scorers, Southern Utah will be able to keep up with anyone in the tournament. It will just have to be careful on the defensive end where it has allowed 73.4 points per game.

Duquesne (20-12)

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ST. LOUIS, MO - FEBRUARY 18: Duquesne guard Dae Dae Grant (3) drives to the basket while tightly guarded by Saint Louis University guard Yuri Collins (1) and Saint Louis University forward Jake Forrester (10) during a college basketball game between the Duquesne Dukes and the Saint Louis Billikens on February 18, 2023, at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, MO (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

There may be no team in the entire tournament with a better resumé than Duquesne.

Despite their record, the Dukes have had some impressive wins over some NCAA tournament-caliber teams as well as those competing in the CBI.

While it wasn't quite in the upper echelon of teams in the A10, Duquesne holds a win over the top team in the entire conference in VCU, it also beat DePaul, Rhode Island, George Mason and Saint Joseph's.

Most notably, the Dukes have a victory over the CBI's top seed. They beat Indiana State 92-86 at home on Dec. 17. The two teams could meet again in the semifinals, which would be one of the most anticipated games of tournament.