High Point MBB Earns CIT Bid, Hosts UMES Wednesday

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s basketball team has earned a bid in the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) and will host Maryland Eastern Shore in a first round game Wednesday inside the Millis Center.

Tip-off between the Panthers and Hawks is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets for the game are $10 and can be purchased by calling 336-841-9276 or visiting highpointpanthers.com. All HPU students will be admitted free of charge.

High Point will be making its school-record third-consecutive postseason appearance. The Panthers will look to earn the program’s first postseason victory in program history on Wednesday.

The CIT includes 32 of the top mid-major teams in the nation and will feature five rounds of play over the next three weeks. The semifinals (March 31) and championship game (April 2) will be televised live on CBS Sports Network. Wednesday’s first round game will be streamed live on CollegeInsider.com.

High Point (22-9, 13-5 Big South) has put together one of the most successful regular seasons in program history in 2014-15. The Panthers have tied the school’s Div. I record for wins in a season (22) while setting new program top marks in road wins (9) and Big South road wins (6). The Panthers opened the season by winning the Rainbow Classic in Hawai’i and wrapped up the campaign by capturing the school’s third-straight Big South regular season title.

HPU is one of just six schools in the nation to have won three-straight regular season league titles.

The Panthers are led by redshirt-junior forward John Brown, a 2014 AP All-American who is one of just five Big South players all-time to be named to the All-Big South First Team in three-straight seasons. A Henson Award nominee, Brown is one of only four players in league history to post 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 100 assists, 100 blocks and 100 steals in a career.

Over the past three seasons, HPU leads the Big South in conference wins (37), conference winning percentage (.740) and is the only school to make three-straight postseason appearances. The Panthers made the CIT in 2013 and earned their first NIT bid in school history in 2014.

Maryland Eastern Shore put together an 18-14 regular season in 2014-15, including an 11-5 mark in MEAC play. The Hawks earned the No. 3 seed in the MEAC Tournament and were upset by No. 6 Hampton in quarterfinal action.

The Hawks rank No. 34 in the country and lead the MEAC in 3-point percentage (.385) and are 40th nationally in steals. UMES is led by senior forward Mike Myers, who ranks No. 13 in the nation in field goal percentage (.588) and is averaging a team-high 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Devin Martin averages 14.0 points while graduate guard Ishaq Pitt is distributing a team-high 4.2 assists per contest.

HPU is making its second appearance in the CIT. In 2013, the Panthers fell at UC Irvine, 80-71, in first round action.

CIT FIRST ROUND TICKET/PARKING INFORMATION
All tickets for the game will be $10 each. Tickets will go on sale Monday, March 16 at 10 a.m. Season ticket holders may secure their regular seats through Tuesday, March 17 at 2 p.m. After that time, all seats will be open for sale to the general public. High Point University students will be admitted free of charge.