College Basketball Invitational
Current season, competition or edition: 2025 College Basketball Invitational | |
 College Basketball Invitational | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | The Gazelle Group |
| First season | 2008 |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Country | United States |
Most recent champion | Illinois State (2025) |
| Most titles | No team has won more than one title |
| Broadcasters | ESPN2 (2022–present) FloCollege (2021-present) ESPNU (2016–2019, 2025–present) CBSSN (2014–2015) AXS TV (2009–2013) Fox College Sports (2008) |
| Related competitions | NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament National Invitation Tournament College Basketball Crown CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament |
| Website | https://www.gazellegroup.com/main/cbi/ |
The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is an American men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI selects sixteen teams that are not selected for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament or the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
Originally, it was played with a single-elimination tournament format until the final two teams were determined, and the championship series with a best two-out-of-three format. games were played on home courts. Since the post-COVID pandemic revival in 2021, the tournament has been staged at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, with a single championship final match.
Teams must pay an entry fee of $27,500 to participate. In 2023, the CBI introduced NIL funding of $40,000 to be distributed in the following manner: $25,000 to the champion, $10,000 to the runner-up, and $2,500 to each semifinalist.
While these tournaments provide a chance for teams to continue their season, they are often unpopular among higher-profile teams due to the stigma of playing in a tertiary tournament. In 2014, Indiana Hoosiers athletic director Fred Glass declined a CBI invitation. He expressed, "We're Indiana. We don't play in the CBI." The 2026 tournament was canceled due to circumstances beyond the organizers' control.