NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State men's basketball team will make its fifth straight postseason appearance and third straight in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) when the Spartans play at Columbia on Wednesday at  7 p.m. in New York City.

NSU will face a Columbia squad that finished 21-10 overall and 10-4 in the Ivy League. The Lions are making their second CIT appearance in three years. They posted their best conference record in 22 years and their most regular season wins since 1950-51.

The Spartans own a 17-16 overall record this season after finishing in a tie for second in the MEAC at 12-4. NSU advanced to the MEAC tournament semifinals for the third straight year. The Spartan program is the only one in the league to advance to the postseason in each of the last four years, much less five. NSU competed in the NCAA Tournament in 2012, the NIT in 2013 and the CIT in 2014 and '15 in addition to now this season.

"We are honored and excited to be chosen for postseason for the fifth straight year," said head coach Robert Jones. "In a one bid league, being chosen for any sort of postseason is a bonus. A postseason bid acknowledges the overall body of work throughout the whole season. Our seniors can get at least one more game together and our underclassmen can continue to grow and develop for next season."