CBI 2018: Tournament Bracket, Schedule, Format and Teams to Watch

Teams that didn't reach the NCAA tournament or the NIT have a chance at postseason glory in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Sixteen teams will play in the 2018 CBI starting Tuesday, March 13.

Here's a look at the tournament bracket, the schedule, the tournament format and some interesting tidbits to keep an eye on if you're not entertained enough by March Madness.

Round Schedules

First Round: Tuesday, March 13-14

Quarterfinals: Monday, March 19

Semifinals: Wednesday, March 21

Finals (best-of-three format): Monday, March 26 (Game 1), Wednesday, March 28 (Game 2) and Friday, March 30 (Game 3, if necessary)

Format

The first two rounds of the 16-team contest follow a standard single-elimination format with 16 teams being whittled down to four.

Once the last four teams are left standing, the semifinal winners will face off in a best-of-three final instead of one, winner takes all showdown. 

Storylines to Watch

On top of the possibility of the CBI hosting an all-WAC final four if the likes of Seattle, UTRGV, Utah Valley and Grand Canyon advance to the semifinals, there are some other teams and players to keep an eye on.

One team that's sure to put on a show will be Eastern Washington, which finished third in the Big Sky Conference with an overall record of 20-14 (13-5 in conference play).

Eastern Washington may have missed out on the Big Dance, but it's still a fun team to watch especially with the likes of senior Bogdan Bliznyuk, the 6'6" Ukrainian scoring machine who leads the team in points per game.

Bliznyuk became the Big Sky's all-time leading scorer this season after averaging 21 points per outing to go along with 6.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. It's a shame that Bliznyuk didn't get to end his collegiate career in the NCAA Tournament, but he still has an opportunity to shine this week in his last hurrah.

But standing in the way of Bliznyuk and Eastern Washington's last chance for glory this postseason is Texas Rio Grande Valley, which has one of the most consistent offensive weapons in all of college basketball.

Forget about Trae Young or Marvin Bagley—have you ever heard of Nick Dixon?

Dixon led Texas Rio Grande in scoring this season, averaging 20 points per game while scoring at least 14 points in each game this season. That's right, Dixon knows how to put the ball in the basket and does it more often than some of the game's top names.

Dixon is a special player, but perhaps the CBI's most prolific scorer is Central Arkansas' Jordan Howard.

Howard can light up a scoreboard on any given night. Averaging 25 points per game this season, Howard has been the driving force for Central Arkansas' offense at times this season, carrying them through most games on his own with 35- and 43-point performances against UCLA and Stephen F. Austin, respectively.

Don't expect too much defense to be played in this year's CBI and enjoy watching the shots fall this March.