PRINCETON, N.J. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team, having won 18 games this season and finished second in the MEAC in the regular season, has accepted an invitation to play in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), traveling to State College, Pa. on Wednesday to take on Penn State.

The 16-team field was announced late Sunday night.

The Pirates (18-12) had a seven-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday with an 83-77 loss to Coppin State in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament, but they recorded their second winning season in five years under head coach Edward Joyner Jr.

Hampton also boasts senior forward Du’Vaughn Maxwell, who was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and was also named to the MEAC All-Tournament Team. Maxwell is second in the MEAC in blocked shots and third in rebounding.

Overall, the Pirates have won 10 of their last 12 games.

Hampton has never faced Penn State (15-17).

With a win on Wednesday, the Pirates would advance to the quarterfinal round on March 24, taking on either Siena or Stony Brook. The semifinals will be held March 26, with a best-of-three championship round starting on March 31.

The CBS Sports Network will televise games beginning with the quarterfinal round.

Also in this year’s field are such schools as Old Dominion, Tulane, Texas A&M, Wyoming, and Radford (which the Pirates beat 87-60 back on Jan. 4). To learn more about the seventh annual CBI, visit www.cbi2014.com.