HDNet to Broadcast Live Coverage of the 2010 College Basketball Invitational

DALLAS, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- HDNet and The Gazelle Group are pleased to announce the network's coverage of the upcoming 2010 College Basketball Invitational.

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/HDNETLOGO)

The College Basketball Invitational will consist of 16 teams not selected for the NCAA Tournament. The teams will be invited based upon performance during their conference and non-conference schedule, as well as how they are playing at the end of the regular season. Bracketing will be done geographically into four regions of the country (East, West, South, Midwest) to minimize missed class time. Brackets will be balanced competitively within each region.

The College Basketball Invitational bracket will be announced on the evening of Sunday, March 14.

The "professor" Rich Cellini is once again paired with former collegiate and NBA star Craig Ehlo as one of HDNet's two broadcast teams.  Ehlo played for Washington State and then went on to an outstanding 14-year career as a shooting guard in the NBA.

The network's second team includes long time HDNet play-by-play announcer, the award-winning Kenny Rice, who is joined by former NCAA player and two-time Division II NCAA championship coach Wayne Chapman.  After an outstanding career at Western Kentucky University, Chapman played professionally in the American Basketball Association from 1968-72.  Chapman has been an NBA scout for the last decade.

The event will be played under a single-elimination format, up until the Championship Series, with all games being played at campus sites. The Championship Series will be a best-of-three series in which the higher seed will host two games should a third be necessary.

The College Basketball Invitational will feature the following:

March 16 and 17

• HDNet will broadcast two games LIVE each night at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. ET
• There are a total of eight Opening Round games at campus sites
• Two games will be played on March 16, six games will be played on March 17

March 22

• HDNet will broadcast two games LIVE at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. ET
• The tournament now features four Quarterfinal Round games at campus sites

March 24

• HDNet will broadcast two semi-final games
• Both will air LIVE at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. ET

All College Basketball Invitational Championship Series (March 29, March 31 and April 2) championship games LIVE on HDNet at 8:00 p.m. ET

This marks the third season of the CBI.  Previous winners of the tournament are Tulsa ('08) and Oregon State ('09).

About HDNet

HDNet (www.hd.net) is the independent network with unique and provocative content that appeals to men of all ages and is delivered in true high definition.

HDNet is the exclusive, high definition home for popular, original programming, including television's only HD news feature programs "HDNet World Report," and the Emmy Award winning "Dan Rather Reports," featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather.  Only HDNet goes beyond the headlines to deliver real news that is redefining the way we look at our world.  HDNet News is provocative, sometimes controversial and always relevant  - telling the important stories of our time in-depth, with attitude and with independence.

HDNet presents championship sports coverage featuring five regular season games from the Premiere Season of the United Football League.  HDNet also features the best of Mixed Martial Arts with its Friday night series, "HDNet Fights" (www.hdnetfights.com).  "HDNet Fights" works with leading MMA promoters including DREAM, Sengoku, King of the Cage, XFC, M-1, K-1, K-1 Max, MFC, Adrenaline and more.  HDNet produces more live Mixed Martial Arts events than any other network and HDNet's "Inside MMA" is the hottest Mixed Martial Arts program on television, giving MMA fans their weekly fix for everything MMA.

HDNet also delivers the world's largest and most diverse concert line-up through the HDNet Concert Series.  The HDNet Concert Series features leading artists and bands including Coldplay, Gwen Stefani, John Mayer and more.  HDNet also features revealing lifestyle programming featuring "Art Mann Presents," "New York Confessions," "Deadline" and "Get Out!"  HDNet is also the exclusive high definition home to critically acclaimed and award winning documentaries as part of the InFocus series.  "NASA on HDNet" presents all live shuttle launches through 2010.  

Only HDNet Movies (www.hdnetmovies.com) delivers exclusive Sneak Previews of new movies before they hit theaters.  The HDNet Movies Sneak Preview series features top Hollywood stars in critically acclaimed performances including Gwyneth Paltrow, Joaquin Phoenix, Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Tom Hanks, Vera Farmiga, Parker Posey, Brian Cox, Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow, Eric Bana, John Malkovich, Emily Blunt, Robin Williams, Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger.

In addition to being the exclusive home of Sneak Previews, HDNet Movies viewers enjoy the best films from the classics of the 1950s-1970s, to favorite films from the 1980s and 1990s, to recently released theatrical films.

HDNet Movies offers subscribers a premium movie viewing experience in true HD, and more original movies shot entirely in HD than any other network.

Launched in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, the HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Verizon FiOS and more than 40 NCTC cable affiliated companies. 

The HDNet networks can be followed via Facebook at facebook.com/HDNet, facebook.com/HDNetFights and facebook.com/HDNetMovies and via Twitter at twitter.com/hdnet, twitter.com/hdnetfights and twitter.com/hdnetmovies.

About the Gazelle Group

The College Basketball Invitational is produced by The Gazelle Group in Princeton, N.J.  The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production/management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting.  Gazelle produces numerous nationally recognized events, such as the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, and the Legends Classic.  For more information on The Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com. 

SOURCE HDNet

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