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Vikings To Host Vermont In NIT First Round

Vikings To Host Vermont In NIT First Round
Posted: Mar 13, 2011

March 13, 2011

Contact: Brian McCann

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The postseason picture became clear for the Cleveland State basketball team on Sunday night when the Vikings received an at-large bid to the 2011 National Invitation Tournament and will host Vermont in a first round game on Tuesday, March 15 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Wolstein Center.

The game, which will be televised over the internet on ESPN3.com, will mark the fourth time in program history that CSU will play in the NIT and the first time since 1988 that one of the games will be at home.

"I am ecstatic for the young men in our program because they have been given the opportunity to play in the postseason and have earned the right to play a home game this week," CSU head coach Gary Waters said. "The Wolstein Center has been very good to us this year and I look forward to meeting Vermont on Tuesday."

A victory against No. 7 Vermont would advance the No. 2 Vikings to a second round contest against the winner of No. 3 Dayton (22-13) at College of Charleston (24-10), which would be played some time between March 18-21.

Tickets for the game will be $20 for seats between the baselines, $10 for endzones and $5 for students and go on sale on Monday morning (March 14) at 10:00 a.m. at the Wolstein Center box office.

The Vikings enter the contest with a 26-8 record, tying them for the second-highest single season win total in program history. The Vikings won the Horizon League regular season title with a 13-5 record, the first regular season crown since joining the league in 1993-94.

Vermont brings a 23-8 record into the contest. The Catamounts won the America East regular season crown with a 13-3 mark but fell to Stony Brook in the semi-finals of the league tourney.

The senior tandem of forward Evan Fjeld (14.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and guard Joe Accaoui (11.6 ppg) lead the team in scoring and the Catamounts nearly swept the league awards. Sophomore guard Brendan Bald (11.3 ppg, 19 steals) was named the America East Defensive Player of the Year with freshman Brian Voelkel (7.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 4.5 apg) being tabbed the league's Rookie of the Year and head coach Mike Lonergan garnering coach of the year accolades.

This will be the third series meeting between CSU and Vermont with the Vikings claiming both contests, a 68-53 win in the Wolstein Center in 2000-01 and a 72-69 decision at Vermont the following year.

Cleveland State set a school record for home wins in a season with a 16-2 record this year, surpassing the old mark of 15, which was set in both 1985-86 and 1987-88. The 16 wins in the Wolstein Center breaks the old mark of 13 wins, which was sent in 2008-09.

The Vikings have won 12 or more games in the Wolstein Center in each of the last four years, going 54-11 (.831) at home during that span.

This is the sixth postseason appearance for the Vikings in program history with CSU owning a 3-2 record in two NCAA appearances and a 2-3 mark during three trips to the NIT.