Liberty hosts North Carolina A&T in first round of CIT

After accepting an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) earlier this week, Liberty men’s basketball will now host North Carolina A&T in the first round of the CIT on Monday, March 12, at the Vines Center.

The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tipoff. Tickets cost just $10 for general admission and Liberty students will receive free admission. Tickets for the first round can be purchased here.

A member of the MEAC Conference, the Aggies reached the semifinals in their conference tournament before being eliminated in a 96-86 loss to Hampton. This is will be the second time the Flames have faced the Aggies, having previously met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament back in 2013 in Dayton, Ohio. In that game, North Carolina A&T defeated Liberty 73-72.

This will be the third time Liberty has participated in the CIT, having competed last year and also during the 2008-09 season, during McKay’s first stint at Liberty. The Flames are 3-2 all-time in the CIT.

Liberty is postseason eligible after finishing with a 20-14 overall record and a 9-9 record in the Big South. The Flames last played on Sunday, March 4, in the Big South Championship suffering a buzzer-beating loss at Radford. The Flames have had a historical run over the past two years as they became the first team in school history to post back-to-back 20-win seasons and set a new record for most wins (41) during a two-year span.

For the first time in school history, Liberty will play in back-to-back postseason tournaments as this will be the second straight season the Flames will compete in the CIT. Last year Liberty won its first two games in the CIT, defeating Norfolk State in the John McLendon Classic and picking up its second win over Samford in the second round.

Now in its’ tenth year, the CIT is selected by a 10-member selection committee, consisting of current Division I athletic directors, who select the 32-team field. The tournament invites will be officially announced on Sunday, March 11 and the first round will begin on Monday, March 12.