PRINCETON, N.J. – The College Basketball Invitational, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, in an effort to assist the NCAA in its research in exploring the implementation of four 10-minute quarters rather than two 20-minute halves and increased scoring options, will utilize recent experimental playing rules adopted by the 2017 NIT, including resetting team fouls to zero at the end of 10-minute segments of each half and resetting the shot clock to 20 seconds instead of 30 seconds at times when the ball is inbounded in the front court.

“The NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee is very appreciative that the College Basketball Invitational has chosen to experiment with these rules this March,” says Keith Dambrot, committee chair and head coach at the University of Akron. “The additional data we will receive from these games will be very meaningful to us as we meet this coming May.”

In the experimental rule regarding resetting the team fouls, the one-and-one free throw bonus will not occur. Instead, teams will shoot two free throws in the following examples:

* Each team is limited to a team total of four personal and technical fouls (excluding administrative technical fouls) during each 10-minute segment of each half.

* The first 10-minute segment of each half will begin when the ball becomes live to begin the half and will end when the game clock reads 10:00. The second segment will begin when the game clock reads 9:59 and ends when the half ends.

* When a team has reached the four-foul limitation, all subsequent personal and technical fouls (excluding administrative technical fouls) will be penalized by two free throw attempts.

* Each team’s foul total will reset to zero when any 10-minute segment has ended.

* The rules regarding penalties for fouls in the act of shooting, flagrant fouls or technical fouls will not be affected by this experimental rule and will always result in two free throws unless the rules specifically say otherwise.

* In any overtime period, when a team has reached a total of three personal and technical fouls (excluding administrative technical fouls), all subsequent personal and technical fouls will be penalized by two free throw attempts. In the other experimental rule, the shot clock will remain the same as when play was interrupted or reset to 20 seconds, whichever is greater, at any time any of the following occurs:

* A personal foul by the defense, which results in no free throws, and the ball is inbounded in the front court.

* Any technical foul assessed against the defense, and the ball is inbounded in the front court.

* The game is stopped for a bleeding player or blood on a uniform and the ball is inbounded in the front court.

The CBI is a 16-team postseason event hosted at on-campus arenas throughout the country. The CBI is a single-elimination tournament up until the best-of-three Championship Series and provides a meaningful opportunity for teams deserving of a postseason experience. This year’s CBI will begin with first round games on March 14 and 15. For more information, visit www.cbi2017.com or follow us on twitter @cbitourney.

The College Basketball Invitational is produced by the Gazelle Group of Princeton, N.J. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the 2K Classic, the Legends Classic, and the Gotham Classic. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit www.gazellegroup.com.