CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Making its seventh men's basketball postseason appearance since 2003, Vermont will face Cleveland State in the first round of the 2011 National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday at the Viking's Wolstein Center at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.
The Catamounts, whose run has included four NCAA appearances, two NIT showings and an appearance in the 2009 College Basketball Invitational, last played in the NIT in 2007. That year, the Catamounts nearly upset Kansas State before falling, 59-57.
Vermont (23-8), which is a No. 7 seed for the tournament, earned its NIT bid by winning the America East regular-season title, its fifth in the last 10 years. The Catamounts, who were the No. 1 seed for the America East Championship, were upset by Stony Brook in the semifinals. Senior Evan Fjeld, a first-team all-conference forward, leads UVM averaging 14.6 points per game, which ranks seventh in the league. Freshman Brian Voelkel, the league's Rookie of the Year, averages a league-best 9.6 rebounds per game.
Cleveland State (26-8), which is seeded second, started the year 21-3 before going 5-5 over its last 10 games and falling to Butler in the semifinals of Horizon League tournament. Senior Norris Cole leads the Vikings 21.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
The Catamounts and Vikings have met twice before with Cleveland State winning the contests in 2001 and 2002. The two teams Vermont only have one common opponent this season, each having beaten Iona.