GAME NOTES: The High Point Panthers will look to pick up their first postseason win in school history on Wednesday as they open up the CollegeInsider.Com Tournament against the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks at the Millis Center.

The Hawks finished their regular season with an 18-14 overall record and in third place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. UMES's total of 18 wins was the most the school has seen since the 1973-74 campaign when it won its conference and made an appearance in the NIT. The Hawks bounced back from a 1-6 start and defeated three Atlantic 10 Conference foes in Fordham, St. Bonaventure and Duquesne on the road during their non-conference slate.

UMES leads the MEAC in 3-point percentage (.385) and ranks fifth in the league in scoring at 67.7 ppg. The Hawks allow an average of 67.1 points to its opposition on 44.9 percent efficiency from the floor. They were defeated, 76-71, by Hampton in the first round of the MEAC Tournament. Ishaq Pitt led UMES in the loss with 19 points, seven boards and six assists, while Mark Blackmon added 14 points. Pitt has posted only 5.3 ppg in 32 games this season, Mike Myers typically spearheads the charge for the Hawks with 15.8 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Devin Martin adds 14.0 ppg with a 40.8 percent efficiency rating from behind the 3-point line.

Although High Point is making its school record third-consecutive postseason appearance, it is still seeking that elusive first postseason win. The Panthers claimed a share of the Big South regular season title with a 13-5 league record, but they suffered an early exit from the conference tournament after a 72-71 overtime loss to Gardner-Webb in the quarterfinal round last Friday. High Point is ranked in the top 50 nationally in points per game (73.3), assists per game (14.8) and field goal percentage (.477).

Redshirt junior John Brown nearly carried HPU past Gardner-Webb single- handedly as he registered a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Brown was selected to the First Team All-Big South after netting 19.0 ppg on 54.6 percent shooting from the field to along with a team-high 5.9 rpg. Brown, who is just one of five players in league history to be named to the first team in three consecutive seasons, is a 2015 Henson Award nominee, an honor given annually to the top mid-major player in college basketball

The CIT is a 32-team tournament that invites teams from non-BCS conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC teams are not considered) who do not receive bids to the NIT or NCAA Tournaments. The bracket is not predetermined in order to minimize travel and class time missed.

This will be the first meeting in history between these schools on the hardwood. Although HPU has the homecourt advantage, Brown will have trouble dominating on the interior against Myers. The Hawks are much more rounded and have a noticeable size advantage. The Panthers will need Adam Weary and Devante Wallace to take pressure off of Brown to advance.