SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Indiana University South Bend men's basketball begins its Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament championship defense on Tuesday, Feb. 23, when the Titans make the quick trip over to Holy Cross. Tipoff of the CCAC opening round is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Pfeil Center.
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Despite not having played a game since Nov. 28, IU South Bend clinched the 15th seed in the 15-team, 14-game week-long tournament. Not knowing how the season would fare and how many games teams would get in, the league office made the decision early in the campaign to include all 15 teams in the league tournament for the first time unless they opted out. Past precedent has been inviting the top eight teams to vie for the title and an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament.
The Titans were as close as they could get to having to pull out of the season due to the Indiana University system shutting down all of its basketball programs until Feb. 1 with IUSB having to wait longer due to county and school restrictions. Tuesday, Feb. 23 is the first day that the Titans have been cleared to return to play after starting the season 2-0.
IU South Bend brings its 10-game winning streak, which dates back to Feb. 3, 2020, into Tuesday's contest after defeating Trinity Christian and Bellevue back in November. Holy Cross (13-5, 8-3 CCAC) earned a berth in the newly-formatted NAIA Postseason Tournament by placing in the top two spots in the league during the regular season.
The opening round showdown serves as the 24th all-time meeting between the Titans and the Saints. IUSB leads the series, 13-11, and defeated Holy Cross, 64-44, in last year's semifinal matchup inside the Pfeil Center on Feb. 28, 2020.
This season marks the second straight appearance for the Titans in the CCAC Tournament after IUSB captured its first championship in program history last year in thrilling fashion. The Crimson and Cream rallied from nine down with 48.8 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime in the championship, knocking off Olivet Nazarene, its second top-10 opponent in four days, and earning a trip to the NAIA DII Tournament.
The winner of Tuesday's game advances to the CCAC Tournament quarterfinals against the winner of No. 7 Lincoln College / No. 10 Roosevelt opening round game. The quarterfinals take place Thursday, Feb. 25 and will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.
