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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huskies to compete in inaugural CBI

Associated Press The Spokesman-Review

SEATTLE – The University of Washington missed the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive spring. Missed the NIT again, too.

But unlike last year, the Huskies have a second consolation prize for a disappointing season: the inaugural College Basketball Invitational. Washington (16-16, 7-11 Pac-10) is likely to host a first-round game in the CBI on Wednesday night. As of late Sunday night tournament organizers had yet to announce their pairings.

The 16-team tournament, which was trying to compete with the long-standing NIT to select teams the NCAA passed over, has four regions and each game will be played at the home court of the higher seed. The finals are a best-of-3 series scheduled for March 31, April 2 and 4.

“If you are not in the ‘Big Dance’ and you want to keep playing, a tournament like this is great,” said Washington coach Lorenzo Romar, who didn’t expect an NIT bid like those earned by Pac-10 rivals Arizona State and California.

“We are excited that we still have an opportunity to play.”

Virginia, Houston and Utah – which Washington beat at home 83-77 in the NIT Season Tipoff in November – are also among those in the CBI field.

Romar said he is not sure if Jon Brockman, Washington’s leading scorer (17.6 points per game) and rebounder (11.5 per game), will play in the first-round game. The rugged junior did not practice Sunday night and missed last week’s loss to California in the opening round of the Pac-10 tournament. Brockman sprained his left ankle March 8 in the second overtime of a loss at Washington State, which like fellow in-state rival Gonzaga made the NCAA tournament.

“I would say at this point he is day to day,” Romar said. “(Before), he could barely walk. Now he can walk pretty normally. He still can’t cut. We’ll see.”

If Washington wins its first-round game at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, where it is 12-6 this season, the CBI’s second round is March 24.