CULLOWHEE, N.C. – For just the fourth time in the program's NCAA Division I history, Western Carolina men's basketball begins postseason play on Saturday (March 18) at 5:30 p.m. as the Catamounts battle in-state foe Charlotte in the first round of the Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational (CBI). The tournament will be held at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Saturday's game will be streamed on FloHoops (
paid subscription required) with free Catamount Sports Network live audio,
streaming online at CatamountSports.com and also through CSN affiliate
105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC - The River.
The winner of Saturday's first-round game will face the winner of No. 6 seed Stetson versus No. 11 seed Milwaukee in the quarterfinals on Monday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. First round and quarterfinal round games will be streamed on FloHoops with the semifinals and championship game broadcast on ESPN2.
Western Carolina (18-15) closed the 2022-23 season by winning four of its final six games and rallied from a 20-point second-half deficit to take eventual Southern Conference tournament champion Furman to overtime in the semifinal round before falling 83-80 in Asheville. The 18 seasonal victories are the most for WCU since winning 19 back in the 2019-20 season with the 10-8 league record this season matching that year's tally.
The Catamounts are paced by three All-SoCon performers this year with second-team selections
Tre Jackson and
Vonterius Woolbright by both the league's head coaches and voting media, with forward
Tyzhaun Claude collecting third-team plaudits from the media. Both Woolbright and Claude additionally landed on the SoCon's All-Tournament team. On Tuesday, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced its All-District Team with Jackson and Woolbright earning second-team honors and WCU head coach Justin Gray chosen as the District's Coach of the Year.
Charlotte earned the No. 3 seed after the Niners finished fifth in Conference USA with an 18-14 overall record and a 9-11 league mark. The 18 seasonal wins are the most for the program since the 2012-13 season. Junior Brice Williams earned second-team All-Conference USA honors after leading the team and finishing eighth in the league with 13.5 points per game. Sophomores Aly Khalifa, the reigning Conference USA Freshman of the Year, and Lu'Cye Patterson claimed honorable mention accolades.
The Catamounts and Niners have met three previous times including last season, resulting in a 98-82 Charlotte victory inside Halton Arena. Charlotte has won each of the three previous series meetings.
For more information on the 2023 Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational, please visit CollegeBasketballInvitational.com. Tickets for the Discount Tire CBI are available through TicketMaster, online at
https://www.ticketmaster.com/college-basketball-invitational-tickets/artist/1845977. They may also be purchased at the Ocean Center box office on CBI game days.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's basketball and WCU Athletics through our social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@catamountmbb @wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@CatamountMBB @catamounts). Follow the CBI on social media: on Twitter (@cbitourney), Instagram (@cbitourney), and through Facebook (@CollegeBasketballInvitational).
