BUFFALO — The Canisius men’s basketball team has accepted an invitation to play in the ninth annual CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), head coach Reggie Witherspoon announced today. The Golden Griffins’ first-round opponent will be announced later this week.
By accepting the invitation to the CIT, Canisius (18-15, 10-10 MAAC) will play in the national postseason for the fourth time in the last five years. The Griffs have made a run to the CIT quarterfinals twice in the previous three postseason appearances, most recently in 2015, where the team eventually lost to NJIT in the round of eight after earning wins over Dartmouth and Bowling Green. Canisius hosted a first-round game in 2014 and lost to VMI, and the team advanced to the 2013 CIT quarterfinal round with wins over Elon and Youngstown State before falling at home to Evansville. The 2013 CIT berth was the program’s first national postseason appearance since 1996.
Four Canisius players average in double-figures for the Blue and Gold, which ranks third in the MAAC in scoring average at 78.5 points per game. Junior forward Jermaine Crumpton, an All-MAAC Third-Team selection, leads the team with his 16.1 points per game, while fellow junior Kassius Robertson, an All-MAAC Second-Team choice, is next with 15.9 points per outing. Senior Phil Valenti posts 13.9 points per game and leads the squad with 5.8 rebounds per contest, while senior Kiefer Douse chips in 11.1 points per game. The Griffs are coming off a 61-58 loss to Saint Peter’s in the 2017 MAAC Basketball Championship quarterfinal round March 3.
