Amazing Field For 2009 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic

Syracuse, North Carolina, California and Ohio State will tipoff next season in the 2009 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Championship Round tickets will be ON SALE TOMORROW at 12:00 noon.

TICKET INFORMATION: Championship Round tickets at Madison Square Garden will be available Friday, March 13th beginning at 12:00 PM and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 212.307.7171 or through Ticketmaster.com.

New Format
- The 2009 tournament will include a 12-team field with games at four regional sites (Syracuse, North Carolina, California and Ohio State) between November 9-13. Championship Round games will be played on November 19 & 20.
- The four regional hosts will play two games at home and then automatically advance to the Championship Rounds in New York City, regardless of the regional results.
- All other participants will automatically advance to play a round-robin series at one of two other sub-regional sites. Thus, every participating team will be guaranteed four games.
- Thus, every participating team will be guaranteed four games, regardless of the regional results.
- Match-ups for the Championship Rounds, as well as the other teams participating in the 2009 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic will be announced at a later date.

The four schools playing in New York City have combined for seven NCAA Basketball Championships and 109 trips to the NCAA Tournament. And their head coaches have combined for more than 2,100 career wins to date.

Syracuse... has put together a 24-8 mark this season (#20 in ESPN/USA Today poll), after their opening round win in the Big East Tournament on Wednesday. The Orange could return all five starters next season, including guards Jonny Flynn (17.3 pts., 6.4 ast.) and Eric Devendorf (15.2 pts., 3.2 ast.).

North Carolina... is currently the #1 team in the nation with a 27-3 record, heading into the ACC Tournament. And the Tar Heels will bring in to the 2009-10 season what is currently rated as the #1 recruiting class in the country, accoring to ESPN.com.

California... is 22-9 this season as the Golden Bears ready for the Pac-10 Tournament. Heading into next season, California could return their top four scorers, who account for 74% of Cal's offense this season. Those four include All-Pac-10 1st Team members Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher.

Ohio State... heads into the Big Ten Tournament this week with a 20-9 record. The Buckeyes do not have a Senior on their roster this season. So they could return their entire starting five in 2009-10, including All-Big Ten 1st Team performer Evan Turner (16.8 pts., 6.9 reb., 3.9 ast.) and Big Ten Conference "Freshman of the Year" William Buford (11.1 pts., 3.5 reb.).

In the 2008 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Championship Game, the Duke Blue Devils defeated the Michigan Wolverines, 71-56. Duke has gone on to a 25-5 record to date and a #1 ranking. Additionally, three of the past NCAA Tournament champions have begun their seasons at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, including Maryland (2001-02), Syracuse (2003-04) and Florida (2004-05).

The Coaches vs. Cancer program, a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), exists to leverage the strength and community leadership of the nation's basketball coaches to raise awareness and reduce the risk of cancer while raising funds for the American Cancer Society's fight to save lives from cancer. Since 1996, the event has raised more than $4.5 million for the benefit of Coaches vs. Cancer.

The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic 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, Legends Classic and the College Basketball Invitational. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.Visit coachesvscancer.com for more information on the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.