MARIETTA, Ohio — After COVID-19 disrupted collegiate athletic schedules in 2020-21, the Great Lakes Invitational returns in 2021 with the fourth edition of the NCAA Division III men's basketball showcase event.

Marietta College will host the tournament in Ban Johnson Arena on November 19-20, 2021. The Pioneers hosted in the inaugural Great Lakes Invitational in 2017.

Five of the eight teams participating in this year's Invitational advanced to the last NCAA Tournament in 2020, including a pair of schools that were headed to the Sweet 16 before the NCAA canceled the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to Marietta, the 2021 field includes Emory University (Ga.), Hendrix College (Ark.), La Roche University (Pa.), Randolph-Macon College (Va.), Wabash College (Ind.), Wilmington College (Ohio) and Wittenberg University (Ohio).

Marietta is making its third appearance in the Great Lakes Invitational having participated in 2017 and 2019. La Roche played in the 2018 Invitational and is making its second appearance. The other six schools are playing in the GLI for the first time.

The tournament will feature four games each day with tip-off times set for 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. both days.

Friday's slate of games will start with La Roche taking on Wilmington. Wittenberg and Hendrix will face off in the second game, followed by Emory and Randolph-Macon. The final game of the first day features Marietta and Wabash.

Wilmington will take on Hendrix in the early game on Saturday. La Roche and Wittenberg play game two with Wabash and Emory playing the third game of the day. The tournament wraps up with Marietta and Randolph-Macon.

The complete Invitational schedule can be found HERE.

Randolph-Macon was 28-2 and had won its first two games in the 2020 NCAA Tournament before the NCAA shut things down. The Yellow Jackets posted a perfect 12-0 record in the abbreviated 2020-21 season and are expected to start the upcoming season as the top-ranked team in the country.

The Pioneers went 12-1 this winter and won the Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships. Marietta made its sixth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2020.

Wittenberg, the all-time winningest Division III men's basketball program, and Wabash both have NCAA Championships on the hardwood. Emory has appeared in the last eight NCAA Tournaments, while La Roche won the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference's automatic bid into the 2020 NCAA Tournament.

Hendrix and Wilmington are coming off below average seasons this past winter, but both schools have multiple NCAA Tournament appearances on their resume. Hendrix was eliminated from the Southern Athletic Association Tournament by top-seeded Berry by one point, 64-63. The Quakers fell to Marietta in the semifinals of the OAC Tournament.

Additional information on the 2021 Great Lakes Invitational can be found on the tournament website HERE.