Colorado State men’s basketball will start the 2011-12 season with a high-profile tournament.
The school announced today that the team is scheduled to travel to Palo Alto, Calif. to play in the opening round of the 2011 Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off in November.
NIT selection committee chair C.M. Newton announced the field today.
The Rams, seeded seventh in the 16-team tournament, will play in the west regional being held at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion from Nov. 14-16. CSU will open against Southern Methodist. The third-seeded Stanford Cardinal host Fresno State.
Top-seeded Syracuse (Big East) plays host to the north regional at the Carrier Dome, opening vs. Manhattan (MAAC), while Albany (America East) takes on Brown (Ivy). No. 2 seed Oklahoma State (Big 12) hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC), sixth seeded Oral Roberts (Summit) and No. 8 UTSA (Southland) in the Midwest Regional at the Cowboy’s Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.
The East Regional will take place at Virginia Tech’s Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. The No. 4-seeded Hokies open vs. Monmouth (Northeast), while No. 5 George Mason (Colonial) takes on Florida International (Sunbelt).
The champion from each region will travel to New York, N.Y., and Madison Square Garden for the semifinal round on Nov. 23. The consolation and championship games will be played Nov. 25. Regional consolation games for those not advancing to New York will also take place Nov. 21 or 22 at campus sites based on tournament seeding.
ESPN will provide coverage throughout the event, televising games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and . Games on ESPN and ESPN2 will be simulcast on . Specific dates, times and television coverage will be announced at a later date.
This marks the third time CSU has participated in the NIT Season Tip-Off (formerly the Preseason NIT). The Rams also appeared in the tournament in 1991 and 2006.
