DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Eastern Kentucky University, the No. 8 seed, will open play at the 2023 Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational (CBI) on Sunday against No. 9 seed Cleveland State.
 
The game will begin at 11 a.m. ET and air live on FloHoops.  The live radio broadcast of the game is available in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, or worldwide on EKUSports.com.
 
THE COLONELS
-  EKU (20-13, 12-6 ASUN) beat North Alabama, 73-48, in the ASUN Tournament quarterfinals before falling at Liberty in the semifinals, 79-73.  It was the third time in the last four seasons that the Colonels advanced to the conference semifinals.
 
-  EKU's only other appearance in the CBI was in 2010, when the Colonels fell to the College of Charleston by three.  The Colonels have made eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a near upset of No. 2 seed Kansas in 2014.  The program played in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2013 and 2015, winning two games and reaching the quarterfinals in 2015.
 
-  The Colonels led No. 2 Liberty by 13 points in the first half of the ASUN semifinal game.  After the Flames staged a comeback, Devontae Blanton's jumper with 8:18 left in the game tied the score at 58-58.  Liberty went on to earn a No. 2 seed in the NIT and advance to the round of 16.
 
-  EKU played 13 games (6-7) this season against teams who advanced to the postseason, including going 3-1 against CBI participants North Alabama, Stetson and Radford.
 
-  Blanton leads the team in scoring (16.6/game), is second in assists (2.9/game) and third in rebounding (6.39/game).  The 6-foot-6 junior wing is fifth in the ASUN in scoring, fifth in field goal percentage (44.9 percent) and eighth in rebounding.  He was chosen to the ASUN All-Tournament Team after averaging 19 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals.  Isaiah Cozart, a 6-foot-7 junior forward, is first in the ASUN, and ninth in the nation, in blocks (2.48/game).  He is second in the league in rebounding (7.09/game).
 
-  In addition to averaging 8.6 three-pointers per game (57th in the country), the Colonels are fifth in the NCAA in rebounds (40.27/game), second in offensive rebounds (13.70/game) and 19th in blocks (4.85/game).
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
-  Cleveland State is 21-13 this season and went 14-6 in the Horizon League.  The Vikings advanced to the conference tournament finals as the No. 3 seed before falling to Northern Kentucky.   
 
-  EKU and CSU share two common opponents from the 2022-23 season.  The Vikings lost at Cincinnati, 69-58.  The Colonels fell at UC, 87-69.  Cleveland State lost at NKU by one and then beat the Norse at home by one during the regular season.  EKU dropped a 64-61 decision at Northern Kentucky.
 
-  Tristan Enaruna leads Cleveland State in scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg).  The 6-foot-8, 220-pound junior forward made NCAA Tournament appearances while playing at Kansas and Iowa State.  Deshon Parker, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, contributes 9.9 points and a team-best 4.2 assists per game in his second season at CSU.  He also played at Appalachian State and James Madison.
 
-  The Vikings in the bottom 30 teams in the nation in 3-pointers per game and 3-point percentage, but are among the top 80 teams nationally in 3-point percentage defense (31.8) and field goal percentage defense.  Cleveland State has allowed 68.1 points per game, third-best in the Horizon.
 
-  CSU scored 79 percent of its points this season inside the 3-point line.  EKU scored 67 percent of its points inside the arc.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-  EKU is 2-1 all-time against Cleveland State.  The Colonels won the first two meetings in February 1977 and December 1977.  The most recent match-up was on Nov. 23, 2019 in Washington D.C.  The Vikings picked up a 65-51 win. 
 
-  In the Battle for the Capital game, Jomaru Brown led EKU with 15 points.  Darius Hicks finished with six points and team-high 15 rebounds.  The Colonels won the turnover battle, 21-14, however EKU shot only 25 percent from the field.  Tre Gomillion paced CSU with a 15-point, 16-rebound double-double.