MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee men's basketball team will participate in the 2023 College Basketball Invitational, the program announced Sunday night.
 
Sitting at 21-11 overall on the season, the Panthers will be the No. 11 seed in the event and will take on Stetson out of the ASUN Conference. The Hatters are the No. 6 seed and will bring a record of 17-13 into play. All first-round games will take place Saturday and Sunday, with MKE set for a 4:30 p.m. CST tipoff on Sunday, March 19.
 
"We are excited about representing Milwaukee in the 2023 CBI tournament," head coach Bart Lundy said. "For a team with 13 new players and zero expectations coming into this season, to be able to win 21 games and get a postseason invite is a great accomplishment. This tournament experience will also serve our program down the road as our young players gain experience."
 
The Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational is a 16-team postseason tournament that originated back in 2008. The tournament is an option for teams not in the NCAA Tournament or NIT, with this being the second appearance all-time for Milwaukee. The Panthers played once before, taking on TCU in the CBI at the end of the 2011-12 campaign.
 
The format had undergone some changes over the years but is now a 16-team bracket-style event held in one location: the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.
 
The dates for "Panther Basketball Postseason presented by Educators Credit Union" to continue in 2023 are March 18-22, with the first two rounds streamed on FloSports, while the semifinals and championship will be on ESPN2. All Panther games can be heard on the "Educators Credit Union Milwaukee Panther Men's Basketball Radio Broadcast", which airs on 101.7 FM The Truth and streaming services with Scott Warras on the call.
 
While midmajor-heavy the past few seasons, the event has drawn teams from major conferences - early winners include Tulsa (2008), Oregon State (2009), VCU (2010), Oregon (2011), and Pittsburgh (2012), as well as Loyola Chicago (2015) in front of its Final Four Run in 2018. Last year, UNC Wilmington won the 2022 CBI in a 96-90 double-OT thriller over Middle Tennessee in the championship game.
 
Following a 10-22 season a year ago, the Panthers and the entire program have experienced an incredible first season of success under Lundy. The team finished second in the Horizon League regular season standings to mark its best finish since the 2010-11 campaign. The team reached the 20-win plateau for the 11th time in the school's NCAA Division I era, and also finished an impressive 15-3 in home games, tying the program mark for most victories on their home court (15-0 in 2004-05).
 
Among national rankings, the program is third in NCAA Division I in blocks per game (5.6), seventh in bench points per game (29.8), 31^st in fastbreak points per game (13.1) and three-point defense (.306), and 34^th in scoring offense (78.3 ppg) and field-goal defense (.408).
 
Tickets for the 2023 Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational went on sale beginning in late January at TicketMaster.com. Tickets may also be purchased on the CBI website at www.collegebasketballinvitational.com and at the Ocean Center box office on Discount Tire CBI gamedays.