NEWARK, NJ—The University of New Hampshire will visit NJIT for the first game in the
CollegeInsider.com men's basketball tournament (CIT) on Monday, March 16, at 7 pm in NJIT's Fleisher Athletic Center,
CollegeInsider confirmed today
NJIT announced on March 4 that it had accepted the CIT bid and that the Highlanders had been selected as a host team, but the opponent was not known until today
New Hampshire, which finished fourth in the America East Conference with a league record of 11-5, will bring a 19-12 overall record into Monday's game at NJIT. The 19 wins this season are tied for the most in UNH program history (1994-95)
The Wildcats, having a huge comeback year with 19 wins this season after finishing 6-24 in 2013-14, won a quarterfinal game in this season's America East championship tournament before falling to AE regular season champion UAlbany in the tournament semifinal, 60-58.
Indeed, all three games this season between UNH and champion UAlbany were decided by razor-thin margins. In the regular season, UAlbany was a 64-62 winner at New Hampshire and a 63-62 winner in the regular season rematch in Albany, NY. The 60-58 conference tournament game was also played in Albany.
The 2014-15 season has been a history-making one for NJIT, as well. The Highlanders began NCAA Division I competition in 2006-07 and became eligible for Division I postseason championship play in 2009-10.
The bid to the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Tournament is the first for the Highlanders at the Division I level, starting with a Division I program-best 18-11 regular season record.
The opportunity for NJIT to play in the 2015 CIT comes after a regular season headlined by a 72-70 early December victory at Michigan, ranked #17 and #16 in the two top national polls at the time. The game vs. the Wolverines, which has been hailed by experts as one of the greatest college basketball upsets of all time, marked NJIT's first-ever win over a nationally-ranked team.
In addition to defeating Michigan, this season's Highlanders also posted wins over St. Francis Brooklyn, which went on to capture the 2014-15 regular season championship of the Northeast Conference. Later, the Highlanders also defeated Yale, which became co-champion of the Ivy League. Coincidentally, Yale played in the 2014 CIT, advancing to the championship game.
A week before beating Michigan, NJIT also scored its first-ever win over a team from the highly-regarded Atlantic 10 Conference (Duquesne).
Starting with a victory on December 30, NJIT is 13-2 record in its last 15 games and the Highlanders own victories this season over teams from seven different Division I conferences.
Monday's contest will be played on the NJIT campus in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
Tickets are on sale for the game vs. New Hampshire with the following prices: Adults $15; children 12 and under $10; and NJIT Faculty and Staff $10. NJIT students with valid ID are admitted free of charge.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.njithighlanders.com
Link to ticket purchase page.
Special youth/group tickets are also available (call 973-642-7224 for details)
For more ticket information, please call NJIT Athletics at 973-642-7224
