2025 College Basketball Invitational

The 2025 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) was a single-elimination, fully-bracketed men's college basketball postseason tournament featuring eleven National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I teams not selected to participate in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament (NCAA), the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), or the College Basketball Crown (CBC).

The 17th edition of the tournament commenced on March 22, and concluded on March 26. All games were played at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the first and quarterfinal rounds streamed on FloCollege, the semifinal round telecast on ESPNU and the final telecast on ESPN2.

Illinois State defeated Cleveland State in the final by a score of 79–68 to claim their first NCAA Division I postseason title. The all-tournament team consisted of Ty Pence (Illinois State), Jordan Pyke (Incarnate Word), Jalen Rucker (Army), Tahj Staveskie (Cleveland State) and Chase Walker (Illinois State), with Walker also being named the most valuable player.

Note: Team records are as of the end of the regular season and prior to the beginning of the tournament.

The NCAA caused confusion on Selection Sunday, by failing to communicate with at least one program invited to the NIT prior to the initial release of the bracket. Instead, it appears the NCAA assumed that mid-major schools would not decline an NIT bid. UC Riverside had already confirmed their participation in the 2025 College Basketball Invitational, before learning they had been invited to the NIT. For a brief time, NIT and CBI brackets co-existed showing UC Riverside playing in both tournaments. Participation in multiple postseason tournaments is not permitted under NCAA rules. After UC Riverside's commitment to play in the CBI came to the attention of the NCAA, instead of communicating with UC Riverside, they contacted South Alabama, the top remaining at-large team, and extended an NIT invitation to them. As the NCAA was communicating with South Alabama, UC Riverside was in contact with CBI organizers to decline their invitation to that tournament, so they could play in the NIT. After their commitment to the CBI was dissolved, UC Riverside contacted the NCAA and accepted their bid to the NIT. Just an hour after extending the invitation, the NCAA contacted South Alabama and informed them their bid to the NIT had been revoked.

Rankings, ratings and records were through March 16, 2025 Selection Sunday and prior to any additional post-season activity. This also includes a "KNIT" score, which is leveraged as a criteria and evaluation tool for the National Invitation Tournament selection committee; it is the average of the following seven metrics:

• BTR: Bart Torvik "T-Rank" Ranking
• BPI: ESPN Basketball Power Index
• KPR: Ken Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings (aka "KenPom")
• KPI: Kevin Pauga Index
• NET: NCAA Evaluation Tool
• SOR: Strength Of Record, as calculated by ESPN
• WAB: Wins Above Bubble, as calculated by Bart Torvik

The operators of the CBI have not publicly disclosed the criteria used to select participating teams. It is unknown whether one, some, all or none of the metrics mentioned above were considered in deciding which teams to invite.

• 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
• 2025 National Invitation Tournament
• 2025 College Basketball Crown