The Official Athletics Website of the Claflin University Panthers

Panthers Accept Bid to Inaugural Black College Invitational Championship

3/11/2025 4:43:00 PM

TICKETS
 
CHARLOTTE, NC - The Claflin Panthers will be a part of HBCU basketball history as the team was selected to compete in the inaugural Black College Invitational Championship (BCIC) Tournament. The historic tournament will feature 16 elite men's and women's basketball teams from NCAA Division I and Division II, representing the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Mideastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
 
The tournament will crown a champion from the NCAA Division I and the NCAA Division II levels. The Panthers will join Johnson C. Smith University in representing the CIAA while Clark Atlanta and Morehouse will represent the SIAC in the inaugural tournament.    
 
The Panthers will enter the tournament after finishing the season with an 18-10 overall record and an 11-5 record in CIAA play. The team also finished season ranked second in the CIAA Southern Division. The Panthers took a heartbreaking 56-53 loss to the Lincoln (Pa.) Lions in the quarterfinal round of the 2025 CIAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.
 
The invitation will give the Panthers their first post-season appearance since 2018 when the team won the SIAC Championship and accepted the automatic bid to the NCAA Division II South Regional. The team opened the regional with a 72-61 win over Clark-Atlanta before taking an 89-64 loss to the Barry Bucs.
 
There will be much more to the inaugural BCIC than basketball. It will be a full week of events that celebrate the culture, education, and community that HBCUs offer. The events will include inaugural BCIC Golf Tournament on Tuesday, March 18^th, BCIC Education Days from March 20^th – 21^st, the BCIC Yard Fest, and the BCIA Step Show competition.
 
The inaugural Black College Invitational Championship Tournament will take place at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina from Thursday, March 20^th to Sunday, March 23^rd. For tickets to the inaugural Black College Invitational Championship Tournament, click HERE.  
 
For more information on Panthers basketball, contact the Claflin University Office of Athletics Media Relations at (803) 535-5548 or log on to www.athletics.claflin.edu.