Gauchos to play Oral Roberts in CBI

The UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball program has accepted an invitation to play in the 2015 College Basketball Invitational and will travel to Oral Roberts University for a 5:00 p.m. (PDT) game on Wednesday night.

The Gauchos, who lost in overtime to the ultimate Big West Conference Tournament champion UC Irvine, will enter the postseason with a record of 19-13 overall. They had a six-game winning streak until they dropped a 72-63 game in OT to the Anteaters, but have still won eight of their last 10 games.

“I left it up to our guys and they feel strongly about continuing to play,” said head coach Bob Williams. “Friday night was tough, but in the end our guys are very competitive and they want to keep playing. I’m happy, and proud, about that. This is one of the best group of guys I’ve ever had and I look forward to the coaching them for another game, and hopefully, several more games.”

The appearance in the College Basketball Invitational is the 12th postseason appearance by the UCSB team since the 1987-88 season. The Gauchos have gone to five NCAA Tournaments, five National Invitation Tournaments, and two College Basketball Invitaitonals.