Was it worth it? Ball State men's basketball coach James Whitford thinks so.
After a 19-13 regular season, Ball State accepted a bid to play in the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament. Teams in the tournament pay $38,000 to host a game, and Ball State athletic director Mark Sandy said the CIT game the Cardinals hosted on March 20 cost the athletic department about $25,000 after ticket sales and other income.
Ball State played one home game and two road contests in the CIT, also paying for a portion of its travel costs. Sandy said the total costs played into the decision of playing in the tournament, but with it being the program's first postseason opportunity since 2002, it made sense and they accepted.