CBI 2015: Complete Preview and Bracket for Postseason Tournament

Heading into its eighth incarnation, the still-fledgling CBI has struggled to gain relevancy. In the hours that followed Sunday night's announcement of the NCAA tournament and NIT fields, it seemed like teams fell over themselves to take their names out of the CBI pool.

Every remaining power conference team with a winning record declined a bid. The only Power Five team willing to extend its season in the CBI was Colorado, which will host Gardner-Webb in the first round despite posting a 15-17 regular-season record. Even more strange is that the Buffaloes will be doing so without star guard Askia Booker, who has decided to end his own season early.

"That's his choice," Colorado head coach Tad Boyle told Brian Howell of Broomfield Sports. "I accept it and we're going to move forward. It's an opportunity for other guys to step up and show what they can do and improve themselves and hopefully do it over a period of time."

Date	Matchup
Tuesday, March 17	Rider at Loyola Chicago
Wednesday, March 18	Gardner-Webb at Colorado
Wednesday, March 18	Pepperdine at Seattle
Wednesday, March 18	Stony Brook at Mercer
Wednesday, March 18	Eastern Michigan at Louisiana Monroe
Wednesday, March 18	Vermont at Hofstra
Wednesday, March 18	Radford at Delaware State
Wednesday, March 18	UC Santa Barbara at Oral Roberts

Round	Date	TV Info
Quarterfinals	March 23	N/A
Semifinals	March 25	N/A
Championship (Best-of-Three)	March 30, April 1 & 3	CBS Sports Network

Boyle will also be without reserve swingman Dustin Thomas, who left the program following the end of the regular season, per an Associated Press report.

What's left is essentially a thin group led by forward Josh Scott and swingman Xavier Johnson, who will have to make up for more than 20 points per game that are leaving town with Booker and Thomas (mostly Booker).

The uncertainty could be a huge boost for Gardner-Webb, which had a regular-season win over Clemson but was largely thrashed when pitted against major conference opponents. The Runnin' Bulldogs went 20-14 in the regular season and were a mediocre 10-8 within the Big South. 

Their resume is largely similar to the other 15 CBI teams. No team in the field has single-digit losses, and most are from smallish conferences that rarely get more than one bid in the NCAAs. Colorado is the only team to rank inside kenpom.com's top 100, and we've already gone over the depletion of its roster heading into the tournament.

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From an objective perspective, Pepperdine probably has the best collection of talent. The Waves played Gonzaga within single digits twice during the regular season before a thrashing in their third matchup, and they earned a season sweep of BYU.

There isn't much offensive competency here beyond Stacy Davis and Jett Raines, but Pepperdine makes up for it with a ferocious defense. BYU—the nation's ninth-best offense, per kenpom.com—was held under 70 points in both matchups. Gonzaga fared a little better offensively in its three head-to-head matchups yet was held to 56 points in its home win over the Waves on Valentine's Day.

Striking similar fear on the defensive end is Vermont, which blew a 12-point halftime lead in its conference semifinals loss to Stony Brook. The Catamounts went 12-4 in the American East during the regular season and were considered a potential tournament team before being eliminated. John Becker has led Vermont to postseason berths in each of his four seasons as head coach, including two CBI runs.

Given his team's solid regular season, Becker may be able to get his first postseason win with this group. As is the case with a majority of smaller schools, Vermont's biggest issue is size. The tallest player on the roster is 6'10", and no Catamount averages more than Dre Wills' 4.7 rebounds per game. 

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"We are excited to be playing in the postseason again," Becker told Alex Abrami of the Burlington Free Press. "It's a credit to our players, coaches and administration."

Vermont and Pepperdine each start on the road, making their journeys a little more difficult.

Pepperdine plays Seattle University, which should be an easy win if the Redhawks' regular season is any indication. Pomeroy's metrics rank Seattle as the second-worst team in the country to finish with a winning record. Isiah Umipig and Jarell Flora are gifted scorers from outside, but this team ranks 281st in offensive efficiency and 210th on the other end. 

Vermont's matchup is far more difficult. Hofstra plays an uptempo, mostly efficient style that allows its players free rein from beyond the three-point arc. Each of the Pride's four leading scorers have attempted 145 or more three-pointers. Do-everything guard Juan'ya Green and Ameen Tanksley lead the way for the Philly-heavy squad.

Overall, Hofstra takes more than 41 percent of its shots from beyond the three-point arc.

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Other potential contenders for the championship include UC Santa Barbara, Stony Brook and Eastern Michigan.

Led by Jameel Warney, Stony Brook is one of the best rebounding teams in the country and has won eight of its last nine games. The Seawolves do an excellent job of cleaning up their own misses. 

Santa Barbara has a singular star in Alan Williams and works the ball beautifully as a team. The Gauchos are 10th in assist percentage and third nationally in avoiding blocks. 

Eastern Michigan has a stout defense and boasts three players who average 12 points or more per game. A nonconference win at Michigan is the best win on its schedule.

The CBI will take place from March 17 to April 3 and includes a best-of-three championship series. Like the NIT, it will also be an experimental hub for a potential change to a 30-second shot clock.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

All advanced stats are via kenpom.com.