PORTLAND, Ore. -- University of Portland men's basketball will host the University of New Orleans Privateers in an opening round game of The Basketball Classic presented by Eracism. The game was originally scheduled to tip-off at the Chiles Center on Wednesday, March 16, but will now be played on Saturday, March 19 at 7 p.m. due to travel considerations for New Orleans.

Tickets for students and kids are free, while bleacher seating with be $5. Lower level reserved sideline seats will be $15 and upper level reserved $10 and are available at www.portlandpilots.com/postseason.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and have radio coverage on 910 ESPN Portland (KMTT).

New Orleans (18-13) finished third place in the Southland Conference with a 10-4 record. Derek St. Hilaire averages a team-best 20.3 points per game, while Troy Green chips in 16.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. UNO ranks fifth nationally in free throws attempted (734), seventh in free throws made (535) and is 25th in the country in three-point defense (.300).

The Privateers are making their fourth postseason tournament appearance in the last six seasons under head coach Mark Slessinger. New Orleans previously participated in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the 2018 CBI, and the 2019 CIT.

Each game of The Basketball Classic will be held on the campus of one of the participating schools. In lieu of a traditional bracket, the field and matchups will be set after each round. Portland has also put in for the opportunity to host a second-round matchup.

The complete field will be announced later this afternoon. The semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, March 29 and the Championship Game on Thursday, March 31. All games will be broadcast on the ESPN+ platform.
 
Portland concluded the regular season with an 18-14 overall record and finished 7-7 in West Coast Conference play under first-year head coach Shantay Legans. The team's 18 wins are the most since the 2010-11 Pilots won 20 games, while the seven league wins matched the program's combined total from the previous five seasons. Portland finished with a .500 or better WCC record for the first time since the 2010-11 squad also finished 7-7.

The Pilot rotation at the end of the season consisted of all freshmen and sophomores, highlighted by All-WCC Second Team sophomore guard Tyler Robertson who averaged 14.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists. All-WCC honorable mention sophomore Moses Wood finished strong and added 14.4 points and 6.1 rebounds with a team-best 45.5 percent from three-point range. Sophomore guards Chris Austin and Mike Meadows contributed 14.0 and 10.2 points, respectively, while freshman forward Chika Nduka chipped in 9.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in league play.

This will be Portland's seventh postseason appearance since transitioning to Division I prior to the 1958-59 season. The Pilots have yet to win a game in postseason competition.

The Basketball Classic is being administered a seasoned panel of basketball coaches and administrators with deep roots in the sport that previously conducted the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) from 2009-19.
 
Portland Men's Basketball Postseason History (NCAA)

• 1959 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to DePaul – 57-56)
• 1996 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to Villanova – 92-58)
• 2009 CIT (1st Round Loss to Pacific – 82-76)
• 2010 CIT (1st Round Loss to Northern Colorado – 81-73)
• 2011 CIT (1st Round Loss to Hawaii – 76-64)
• 2015 CIT (1st Round Loss to Sacramento State – 73-66)
• 2022 The Basketball Classic Presented by Eracism