Columbia to host Norfolk State in CIT first round Wednesday

Columbia announced Friday it would host Norfolk State at Levien Gym in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Wed., Mar. 16 at 7 p.m.

The Lions enter the CIT with an overall record of 21-10, the most regular season victories for Columbia since 1950-51. Norfolk State, meanwhile, enters with an overall record of 17-16 and a second-place finish in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. (Columbia’s KenPom ranking is 114, while the Spartans’ ranking is 234.) Tickets are on sale now.

Columbia defeated Valparaiso on the road and Eastern Michigan at home in the first and second rounds of the 2014 CIT before losing to Yale, 72-69, in the quarterfinals.