Cougars to Take on Colorado State in First Round of NIT

The Cougars are headed to the National Invitation Tournament for the first time in six years.

CofC (25-9) was on Sunday named a No. 5 seed in the tournament and will play No. 4 seed Colorado State (23-11) at Moby Arena in Fort Collins at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

The last time CofC made the NIT, in 2011, the team advanced to the quarterfinals. That was the deepest postseason run in the program’s history.

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If the Cougars hope to match or surpass that run, it’ll come on the back of the team’s stout defense. CofC finished No. 25 in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 64.1 points per game.

The Cougars face a strong Rams team that includes the Mountain West Conference’s Coach of the Year, Larry Eustachy, and Player of the Year, Gian Clavell. Colorado State finished second in the conference’s regular season standings and made it to the Mountain West Conference championship game before losing to Nevada 79-71.

“It will be a great challenge for us to play another great team on their home court,” said Cougars coach Earl Grant. “I am really happy for our players and coaches. They put so much hard work into being able to play in a postseason tournament.”

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The winner of Tuesday’s game will take on either top-seeded Cal (21-12) or No. 8 seed California State University Bakersfield (22-9).

The game will be broadcast on the WatchESPN app and the College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM in the Charleston area).