SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman University and Mercer University will take part in the 2016 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Furman will play host to Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday (March 15). That same night Mercer will visit Coastal Carolina
The Paladins, who posted an 18-15 overall record and finished third in the SoCon standings with an 11-7 mark, will be playing in their second CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament and ninth postseason tournament overall. Senior Stephen Croone, the SoCon Player of the Year, has paced the Paladins at 17.0 points per game. Sophomore Devin Sibley has added 11.9 points per contest, while 6-foot-6 junior Kris Acox has contributed 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per outing this season.
The Warhawks, 20-13 on the season, reeled off 10 consecutive victories and 14 in a 15-game stretch before falling to Arkansas-Little Rock, 70-50, in the Sun Belt championship game on Sunday afternoon in New Orleans, La. ULM posted a 15-5 conference record this season and also claimed a 10-point win over Southern Conference champion Chattanooga during the non-conference portion of its schedule.
Mercer went 19-14 during the regular season defeated The Citadel in the first round of the SoCon Tournament before falling to ETSU in the quarterfinals.
The Bears are the only program in the country to record wins in all four postseason tournaments in the last four years, winning the College Insider Tournament in 2012, advancing to the National Invitation Tournament round of 32 in 2013, reaching the NCAA Round of 32 in 2014 and advancing to the second round of the College Basketball Invitational last season.
Mercer is one of seven teams to have won a CIT championship and have the opportunity to be the first program to win multiple titles in the tourney.
The 32-team CIT field is made up of non-Power 5 programs, not selected to participate in the NCAA or NIT (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC-12 and SEC teams are not considered). All 31 games are played on campus sites. In an effort to minimize travel and limit missed class time, the CIT uses the old NIT model, with future round opponents determined by results of the previous round, ensuring geographic stability. The 2009 and 2010 tournaments were contested by 16 teams. The 2011 CIT consisted of 24 teams and the field expanded to its current 32-team format in 2012.