Duke, UCLA, Michigan and Southern Illinois will serve as the four regional hosts for the 2008 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer... the nation's premier season-opening college basketball tournament. Regional games will take place between November 10-14 with the four winners advancing to the Championship Rounds, November 20 & 21, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
TICKET INFORMATION: Championship Round ticket packages at Madison Square Garden are on sale beginning Thursday, September 4 and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 212.307.7171 or through Ticketmaster.com.
Duke returns four starters this year and is a consensus pre-season Top 10 team
UCLA, off its third straight Final Four appearance, brings in the nation's top-ranked recruiting class.
Michigan's return to prominence is led by John Beilein, who has compiled winning records in 26 of his 30 seasons as a head coach and who has 10 post-season appearances.
Southern Illinois returns to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference, a year removed from advancing to the NCAA Tournament's the "Sweet 16". The Salukis have averaged 24.6 wins per year over the last seven seasons.
In the 2007 2K Sports Classic Championship Game, the Memphis Tigers defeated the Connecticut Huskies, 81-70. Memphis went on to play for the National Title against Kansas. Additionally, three of the last seven NCAA Tournament champions have begun their seasons at the 2K Sports Classic, including Maryland (2001-02), Syracuse (2003-04) and Florida (2004-05).
2K Sports will be the title sponsor of the Event for the fourth consecutive year. 2K Sports develops and publishes the popular and highly acclaimed 2K series of sports video games including the "NBA 2K" series - the best selling and best rated next-generation basketball videogame on the market. 2K Sports is known for delivering the most innovative and realistic sports simulation gaming experience to fans every year.
The Coaches vs. Cancer program, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), exists to leverage the strength, community leadership and celebrity of the nation's basketball coaches, to raise awareness and reduce cancer risk through education programs while raising funds for the American Cancer Society's fight against cancer. Since 1996, the event has raised more than $4.0 million for the benefit of Coaches vs. Cancer.
The 2K Sports Classic benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer is produced by The Gazelle Group in Princeton, N.J. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic and the Legends Classic. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.
For more information on the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, visit the official tournament website at coachesvscancer.com.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
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