Valparaiso, Cleveland State, Butler, Milwaukee Learn Postseason Destinations

2012 NIT Bracket | 2012 CBI Bracket

INDIANAPOLIS -- For the second straight year, the Horizon League earned two bids to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), as Cleveland State and League regular-season champion Valparaiso are each in the field of 32. Combined with entries into the College Basketball Invitational presented by Zebra Pen (CBI) for Butler and Milwaukee, the Horizon League earned a total of five bids into postseason play, the most in League history.

Valparaiso (22-11) was given the No. 7 seed, where the Crusaders will meet No. 2 Miami (19-12) in the first round. The teams will meet on Wednesday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m. ET. ESPNU will have live coverage of the game.

Cleveland State (22-10) earned a No. 6 seed and a trip to Stanford (21-11), where the teams will play on Tuesday, March 13 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Vikings will be the second Horizon League team to meet the Cardinal this season, after Butler knocked off Stanford in December.

In the CBI, Butler (20-14) will host Delaware on Wednesday, March 14, at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Milwaukee (20-13) heads to Fort Worth, Texas, for a CBI opening round game at Texas Christian.

The Crusaders earned an automatic bid to the NIT after capturing the Horizon League regular season title with a 14-4 league record.  Valpo, which carries a 22-11 overall record into the NIT, lost the league championship game to Detroit last Tuesday.  The Crusaders are led by Horizon League Player of the Year Ryan Broekhoff, who averages 14.8 points and a league-high 8.6 rebounds per game, along with fellow First Team All-League honoree Kevin Van Wijk, who tallies 14.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.

Miami is currently 19-12 on the season and went 9-7 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, finishing tied for fourth in the regular season before falling to Florida State in the conference quarterfinals.  The Hurricanes own wins over Florida State, which won the conference tournament, and at top-ten Duke during the regular season.  Miami boasts four players averaging in double figures on the season as it records 71.2 points per game as a team, led by 12.9 ppg from junior guard Durand Scott.

The winner of the Valpo-Miami game would advance to face the winner of third-seeded La Salle and sixth-seeded Minnesota on a to-be-determined date.

The Cleveland State-Stanford game marks the fifth time in program history that CSU will play in the NIT and the second consecutive season. It is also the fourth postseason appearance in the last five years for the Vikings under head coach Gary Waters (3 NIT's and 1 NCAA).

A victory at Stanford would send the Vikings into the second round against the winner of another first round game between second-seeded Ole Miss and seventh seeded Illinois State.

The Vikings are returning to the NIT for the second straight season; CSU reached the second round last year as the No. 2 seed.

The Bulldogs reached 10 wins in Horizon League play for the seventh straight season before falling in the conference semifinals. Led by senior Ronald Nored, Butler will attempt to lock down a Delaware (18-13) squad that had won nine straight games before losing in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.

Milwaukee fell to Butler in the Horizon League Championship second round after earning the fourth seed in the tournament, tying with the Bulldogs and eventual League champion Detroit at 11-7 in conference play. The Panthers will be trying to become just the fourth team to record a win at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, as the Frogs have tallied a 13-3 mark at home, including wins over NCAA Tournament teams UNLV, Colorado State, New Mexico and Lamar.