NJIT to Host Quinnipiac in First Round of CollegeInsider.com Tournament

Written by: Deric Raymond
Published: Friday, March 15, 2019

NJIT will participate in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) and host Quinnipiac in the first round on Monday, March 18, at the Wellness and Events Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. (TV: ESPN+)

TICKETS: Quinnipiac vs. NJIT | CIT First Round

"We are thrilled that NJIT will be participating in the 2019 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament," Director of Athletics Lenny Kaplansaid. "This invitation is a reflection of what our coaches and student-athletes have accomplished and we are looking forward to the challenge of this opportunity in the CIT."

The game will be streamed live for free on CBS Platform.

A simple way to find is on NJIT's official athletics website, www.njithighlanders.com. Near the middle of the home page under the headlines section, an upcoming events calendar lists scheduled NJIT contests. After finding the event, click the camera icon to the left of the event listing. That brings you to WatchCIT.com where you can access the desired program.

This marks NJIT's third all-time appearance in the CIT. In both of their previous CIT appearances in 2015 and 2016, the Highlanders advanced as far as the semifinals. NJIT is 6-2 all-time in the CIT and 6-0 on home court.

In their 2015 debut, the Highlanders defeated New Hampshire, Cleveland State and Canisius at home before being eliminated at Northern Arizona in the semifinals. The following season, NJIT was victorious against Army, Boston University and UT Arlington until they were again knocked out in the semifinals at Columbia.

NJIT is in the midst of its best season in program history after the Highlanders secured the most regular-season wins (20) in school history and matched its all-time winningest record in the D-I era at 21-12 (2014-15, 21-12). The program's 11 road wins set a school record and is tied for the third-most road wins in the NCAA. The squad also earned its first ASUN Championship win in program history at Florida Gulf Coast in the ASUN Quarterfinals.

"I'm incredibly excited for our team to extend its historic year with postseason play in the CIT at home in Newark," head coach Brian Kennedysaid. "We're proud to represent the ASUN Conference, which had an incredible year and featured some of the highest NET ratings in mid-major basketball. We look forward to the challenge of facing a strong MAAC team in Quinnipiac."

The visiting Quinnipiac Bobcats (16-14, 11-7 MAAC) of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference finished in fifth place of the MAAC. The program ended the regular season strong, winning seven of its final nine games. The Bobcats were eliminated in the MAAC Quarterfinals by No. 6 seed Monmouth, 98-92.

Many programs have benefited from playing in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, which has had more schools make their postseason debut (26) and more programs win their first-ever postseason game (34) than all other tournaments combined during the ten seasons since the CIT was established in 2009.

Schools have also seen an impact the following season and beyond. Five participants from the 2018 CIT are currently in first-place in their respective conferences. Five more schools are within two games of first-place and a total of 11 programs are on track to win 20 or more games this season.

Heading into the second week of February there were four schools still unbeaten in Conference play. Two played in the NCAA Tournament last season (Gonzaga and Tennessee) and the other two played in the 2018 CIT (Sam Houston State and Wofford).

Tickets are available for purchase on www.NJITtix.com. Adult general admission tickets start at $15 while tickets for youth under the age of 12-years-old are $5.