By ERIC TABER

The Montana Grizzlies men’s basketball squad will return to Reno this week to face the University of Nevada after accepting an invitation to play in the 2016 College Basketball Invitational.

The ninth annual CBI will see 16 teams from around the country competing, beginning with eight first round games on Tuesday, March 15, and Wednesday, March 16.

The Grizzlies and Wolf pack will face off on March 16 at the Lawlor Events Center on the University of Nevada campus.

This year’s CBI features three Big Sky Conference teams, with Idaho and Eastern Washington accepting invitations in addition to the Griz.

Visit gogriz.com to view the complete bracket for the tournament. To access information about the College Basketball Invitational, click HERE.

The CBI is a single-elimination tournament up until the “best-of-three” Championship Series, with all games played at campus sites. After the First Round games, the Quarterfinal Round will take place on Monday, March 21, followed by the Semifinal Round on Wednesday, March 23. Prior to the semifinals, the remaining teams will be re-bracketed. The Championship Series is a best-of-three in which one team will host two of the three games. Those games will be played on March 28, March 30, and April 1.

Past CBI champions include Tulsa, Oregon State, VCU, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Santa Clara, Siena, and Loyola Chicago. Teams from nearly every conference have participated in the event. Twenty-six teams have used the CBI to springboard to the NCAA Tournament the following year, while another 16 have gone on to the NIT.

ESPN is the official television home of the CBI. ESPNU will televise each game of the best-of-three Championship Series. Mitch Holthus and Sean Harrington will serve as the broadcast team.

The College Basketball Invitational is produced by the Gazelle Group of Princeton, N.J. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, Legends Classic, and the Gotham Classic. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.

CBI Schedule

March 15

Morehead State at Siena

March 16

Omaha at Duquesne

Montana at Nevada

Pepperdine at Eastern Washington

Albany at Ohio

Houston Baptist at UNCG

Idaho at Seattle

Western Carolina at Vermont