Stetson men's basketball has accepted an invitation to play in the Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational, scheduled for March 18-22 at The Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.

Stetson's participation in the CBI marks the second postseason event for the Hatters, the previous trip to the postseason was in the 2020-2021 season where they also participated in the CBI.

The Hatters enter their second-ever Division 1 post season event with an 17-13 record. Stetson will be the #6 overall seed in the sixteen team tournament. The Hatters will play the #11 seeded Milwaukee Panthers out of the Horizon League, who were 21-11 overall on the season. The game will be on Sunday March 19th at 5:30 p.m.

The Hatters are excited to continue their season, "This is a great opportunity for our team. Only a select few teams will be playing a post season so this means a lot to us," said senior Wheza Panzo.

"This is a great opportunity for the team to be invited for a post-season tournament, it is also great that we get to play close to home in Daytona. It is the hard work and accomplishments we did this season as a team that allowed us this opportunity," said junior Stephan Swenson.

The 17-13 record is Stetson's best overall record since the 2000-01 season and the most conference wins since the 1986-87 season.

Stetson is led by sophmore guard Jalen Blackmon, Juniors Stephan Swenson and Josh Smith, and senior Wheza Panzo. Jalen Blackmon was recently named ASUN Newcomer of the Year and was also named All ASUN First Team after averaging 15.2 points and shooting 92.0% from the free throw line. This was the first time in program history that a Stetson MBB player won the Newcomer of the Year award. Stephan Swenson was recently named All ASUN Third Team after averaging 10.5 points and 4.8 assists. Wheza Panzo led the team in 3 pt made with 75 makes while shooting 48% from 3. Josh Smith led the team with in rebounds with 6.2 per game.

All CBI games will be streamed live on FloHoops & ESPN 2. For more information on the Discount Tire CBI or to purchase tickets please visit www.collegebasketballinvitational.com. 

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS.

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