By Nick Veronica

Canisius plans to accept an invitation to play in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament and host an opening-round game on Tuesday, March 18, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions.

[UPDATE: It’s now confirmed, game at 7 p.m. Tuesday]

The opponent for the game should be finalized within the next few days and will likely be a school from this part of the country.

Should the Griffs win their first game, they would go on the road for the second round, held either March 21 or 22. All games are at campus sites.

The CIT is a 32-team postseason tournament geared toward mid-major schools, lower than the NCAA and NIT tournaments and roughly even with the CBI. It is the same postseason tournament the Griffs played in last year.

The only reason Canisius hedges with accepting this bid is that the school is holding out hope for an NIT invitation, but acknowledges that is a long shot. Canisius also had interest from the CBI, but that tournament has a hefty price tag and is geared toward schools from major conferences.

Canisius is 21-12, one win shy of tying the school record. Canisius made it to the semifinals of the MAAC Tournament for the first time since 2002 but didn’t advance to the championship, falling 75-72 to Iona last Sunday.

With 19 points and seven assists in the postseason, Billy Baron can become just the second player in school history with 1,400 points, 350 assists and 300 rebounds.