Doug Gottlieb faces new uncertainty as CBI cancels 2026 tournament and Green Bay declines invite
doug gottlieb confirmed Thursday that UW-Green Bay men’s basketball turned down a postseason invitation as the College Basketball Invitational announced the 2026 tournament has been canceled. The decisions and the cancellation landed the same day, tightening the already narrow set of men’s postseason options beyond the NCAA Tournament and NIT. As of Thursday in Eastern Time (ET), the CBI’s statement left teams, coaches, and organizers without a clear public explanation for why the event will not be staged in 2026.
Doug Gottlieb and UW-Green Bay pass on CBI as the event is called off
In Green Bay, UW-Green Bay men’s basketball head coach Doug Gottlieb told 11 Sports on Thursday that the Phoenix declined an invitation to the CBI. Asked whether there was a plan to play in a postseason tournament, Gottlieb said, “We passed. ”
Separately, the CBI announced Thursday on social media that the tournament will not be held in 2026. “Due to circumstances beyond our control, the CBI will not be held this year, ” the post said, adding, “We will see you next year!” The language points to a potential return in 2027, but the reason for the 2026 cancellation was not clarified publicly in the announcement.
CBI cancellation reshapes the non-NCAA postseason picture
The CBI’s cancellation means the College Basketball Crown stands as the only men’s postseason tournament besides the NCAA Tournament and the NIT, based on the details released Thursday. The CBI had long been treated as a significant alternative postseason event, with fields that shifted over time: 16 teams from 2008 through 2019, a cancellation in 2020 due to the pandemic, an eight-team event in 2021, a return to 16 teams in 2022 and 2023, then 14 teams in 2024 before dropping to 11 in 2025.
Organizers also faced recent contraction elsewhere in the landscape: the CollegeInsider. com Tournament folded last year. Teams participating in the CBI and the CollegeInsider. com tournaments were required to pay an entry fee, a detail that has been part of how those events operated.
The Crown, launched last year, opened with a 16-team field in its inaugural tournament but will have eight teams this year. The Crown’s model includes name, image and likeness payments for participating teams to divide among their players, making it an appealing option for programs that miss the NCAA Tournament.
Immediate reactions and official statements
The clearest on-the-record explanations Thursday came directly from two places: the CBI’s public statement and Gottlieb’s brief comment on Green Bay’s decision.
The CBI’s announcement framed the cancellation as unavoidable, citing “circumstances beyond our control, ” while offering no additional specifics. Messages seeking comment were left with the Gazelle Group, the New Jersey-based sports marketing firm that has put on the CBI since 2008.
On the Green Bay side, Gottlieb’s comment was direct and final: “We passed. ” No additional reasoning was provided in the public remarks described Thursday.
Quick context: Green Bay’s season ends, roster news emerges
Green Bay’s season ended Sunday night with a 96-79 loss to Northern Kentucky in the second round of the Horizon League Tournament. In the second year under Gottlieb, the Phoenix improved from 4-28 to 18-15 and finished in the top five of the conference standings.
Also Thursday, redshirt freshman Caden Wilkins is expected to enter the transfer portal, per his agent Ryan Murphy and The Field of 68. Wilkins averaged 6. 9 points per game and shot 40% from behind the arc.
What’s next for doug gottlieb and the postseason options
With the CBI off the calendar in 2026 and other non-NCAA events reduced or folded, the immediate focus shifts to what opportunities remain for teams outside the NCAA Tournament and NIT structure, including the Crown’s smaller field this year. For UW-Green Bay, the public record from Thursday leaves two realities side by side: the Phoenix had already opted out of the CBI path, and the CBI itself is now not happening in 2026. The next updates to watch in ET will be any further explanation from the Gazelle Group and any additional program decisions from doug gottlieb as the roster and postseason landscape continue to change.
