CBI 2015: Quarterfinals Scores, Updated Bracket and Semifinals Schedule

Here you thought you got a temporary break from the madness of March in the college basketball world.

The CBI may not get the attention of the NCAA tournament or even the NIT, but hoops fans were treated to a number of thrilling quarterfinal contests on Monday. Among the teams taking the court were Colorado, Mercer and Vermont, and every squad still remaining is looking to add a championship to the end of the season as a stepping stone for next year.

With that in mind, here is a look at the quarterfinal scores, a bracket and more.

Quarterfinal Scores

Matchup	Result
Radford vs. Vermont	78-71, Vermont
UL Monroe vs. Mercer	71-69, UL Monroe
Oral Roberts vs. Loyola (IL)	86-78, Loyola
Colorado vs. Seattle	72-65, Seattle

CBI Bracket

Updated bracket can be found at GazelleGroup.com.

Semifinal Schedule

*The tournament is re-bracketed after the quarterfinals.

Matchup	Date	Time
Vermont vs. UL Monroe	March 25	TBA
Loyola vs. Seattle	March 25	TBA

Quarterfinals Recap

Vermont 78, Radford 71  

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Sometimes, there’s nothing wrong with getting your work done early and holding on for the rest of the game.

That is exactly what Vermont did in its 78-71 victory over Radford on Monday.

The Catamounts used a big second-half run to open up a 63-47 lead with less than eight minutes remaining after leading by just three at halftime. While the Highlanders closed to within a single-digit lead near the end and made the crowd somewhat nervous, the game was never really in doubt after Vermont propelled itself to such a commanding lead.

Four different Catamounts scored in double figures, and Trae Bell-Haynes led the way with 17 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal—although he turned it over seven times. Ethan O'Day also chipped in 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, while the balanced offensive attack helped Vermont overcome 18 turnovers and general sloppiness throughout the game.

Javonte Green spearheaded the Radford attack with an incredible 24 points and 15 rebounds, while R.J. Price added 13 points, but a two-man scoring effort wasn't enough to beat the Catamounts on their home floor.

Alex Abrami of the Burlington Free Press noted that the home crowd certainly helped Vermont pick up the quarterfinal victory and advance to the semifinals:

It is really no surprise that Bell-Haynes played such a critical role for the Catamounts, given coach John Becker’s comments, via Abrami: "When Bell-Haynes is in there, we play at a little bit better pace. And defensively, we can extend pressure.”

Bell-Haynes helped Vermont play at that ideal pace and pick up the impressive victory. If he, O'Day and the rest of the Catamounts continue to share the scoring load and make it impossible for the opponent to lock in on a single player, Vermont will be a difficult out in the CBI's version of the Final Four.

UL Monroe 71, Mercer 69

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Typically, a 20-point lead is fairly safe in a basketball game, especially when it comes in the second half. The thing is, there is nothing typical about college hoops in March.

Mercer built a 42-27 lead by halftime against UL Monroe and stretched that to 20 after intermission. It looked like the program that stunned Duke a season ago in the NCAA tournament was going to advance to the semifinals of the CBI in relatively easy fashion.

Then the Warhawks went to work.

Tylor Ongwae carried UL Monroe all the way back from the 20-point deficit to an astounding 71-69 victory. He finished with 27 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. He also drilled a critical three-pointer to tie the game with less than 90 seconds remaining before picking up two monumental steals and the go-ahead basket in the final moments. 

The team's official Twitter account got into the action down the stretch:

It was a finish typically reserved for the madness of the actual NCAA tournament, and UL Monroe fans will undoubtedly be thrilled to see their team advance.

Ike Nwamu led the way for Mercer with 20 points, but it was ultimately in vain, as his team collapsed in the second half.

If Ongwae carries the momentum over from the finish of Monday's game into the semifinals, the Warhawks will be difficult to beat. He causes a number of matchup problems because of his ability to hit from the outside or attack the rim at 6'7".

Sometimes, all it takes is a special performance from an individual in March to carry a team. That is exactly what UL Monroe received Monday and hopes to see two more times before the season ends.

Loyola (Illinois) 86, Oral Roberts 78

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

The Loyola basketball program has a national championship in its history, and if it continues to play like it did during an 86-78 victory over Oral Roberts Monday, it will add a CBI title to the resume.

The Ramblers thoroughly dominated the Golden Eagles out of the gates and built a 42-27 lead by halftime. The shots were falling, and the offense looked downright unstoppable at times. While Oral Roberts actually outscored Loyola in the second half by a significant margin, the Ramblers secured the victory by hitting 27 free throws, many of which ended a comeback effort down the stretch. 

Earl Peterson led the way with 19 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal, but four different Ramblers finished in double figures in the scoring department. The balanced attack was too much for Oral Roberts to overcome, although Loyola’s official Twitter page noted that the defense certainly played a role as well:

Aaron Young spearheaded the Golden Eagles offense and finished with 26 points, earning some praise from The Catch and Shoot in the process as he tried to carry his team back into the game after a disastrous opening 20 minutes:

To Young and Bobby Word’s credit (Word finished with 22 points and drilled four three-pointers), Oral Roberts closed the gap to as little as four with less than a minute remaining and made it interesting at the end. Still, the start and clutch free-throw shooting from Loyola made the difference, even with an impressive finishing kick from the Golden Eagles.

Ultimately, Loyola’s victory ensured itself at least one more game at the CBI semifinals and some additional practice time before next season begins. Derrick Docket, the Associate Commissioner of New Media at the Missouri Valley Conference, noted that the additional time on the floor is working wonders for the Ramblers:

If that trend continues moving forward, Loyola may contend for a spot in the NCAA tournament or NIT instead of the CBI next season.

Seattle 72, Colorado 65

Ronda Churchill/Associated Press

Colorado may have been the Pac-12's power-conference team in the CBI heading into Monday’s quarterfinals, but Seattle took control of the second half and beat the Buffaloes 72-65.

Colorado could not hold onto its three-point advantage it enjoyed at halftime and the 45-36 lead it had with 15 minutes remaining. A major reason why was Jarell Flora, who finished with 22 points, three steals, two assists and a block. Isiah Umipig also chipped in with 20 points, three assists and three steals and helped the Redhawks overcome the slow start with a strong finish. 

Flora earned some praise from Brian Howell of the Boulder Daily Camera in the process:

That is exactly what Flora did.

While it was easy to point to the excellent game from Flora as the reason that Colorado lost, the Buffaloes were also careless with the basketball and ended up with 14 turnovers. Instead of protecting a lead late in the game, the Buffaloes were coughing up opportunities to add to it and opening the door for the Redhawks to make enough plays to get back into the game. 

Howell commented on the lack of execution:

Colorado didn’t only blow the lead, it also completely lost control of the game down the stretch and ended up falling behind by double digits. It was only a three-point contest with two minutes remaining, but Seattle was much stronger down the stretch and is advancing to the semifinals as a result.