Utah Valley takes home MGM Resorts Main Event middleweight title

LAS VEGAS—Jake Toolson scored 20 points and Ben Nakwaasah added a career-high 18 to lead Utah Valley to the MGM Main Event Middleweight title with a 87-72 win over Long Beach State on Wednesday afternoon at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” said Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope. “We’ve had some confidence, trust and belief issues. We’ve had some newness issues with guys trying to figure each other out. For our guys to come into this tournament and figure all those tricky dynamics going on and to gut it out two days ago and then to play just great basketball today where we really shared the ball and make plays for one another. I’m just really proud.”

Georgia Southern outlasts Montana for The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase title

NASSAU, Bahamas – Tookie Brown tallied 22 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Georgia Southern held off Montana 80-77 to claim the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase title Sunday night in Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium.

Brown was named the tournament MVP, and Montae Glenn earned all-tournament honors after averaging 11.7 points and nine rebounds while shooting 75 percent from the floor. It is the Eagles’ first in-season tournament championship since winning the Islander Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 2003.

TCL announced as title sponsor of inaugural Vancouver Showcase

VANCOUVER, B.C. – TCL®, North America’s fastest-growing TV brand, will join Sport Hosting Vancouver to co-sponsor the inaugural Vancouver Showcase men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments. The event, now known as the “TCL Vancouver Showcase,” features four men’s teams and eight women’s teams competing Nov. 18-24, 2018 in the first NCAA Division I tournaments staged in Canada.

“TCL is thrilled to sponsor a dynamic event like the Vancouver Showcase which features top basketball talent. This partnership couldn’t have come at a better time, as we are launching our lineup of TCL Roku TVs to the Canadian market.  These award-winning televisions offer an unmatched viewing experience for sports and any other entertainment our users might want,” said Chris Larson, Senior Vice President, TCL. “With a stunning picture and the best smart TV platform for easy access to all the pro and college basketball games you’re looking for, our 4K TCL Roku TV is the perfect companion for fans who will be following the tournament at home.”

The men’s event features Minnesota, Santa Clara, Texas A&M and #24 Washington playing a round-robin schedule on Nov. 18-21. The eight-team women’s tournament then tips on Nov. 22-24 featuring No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 8 Oregon State and No. 10 South Carolina among the field. Both tournaments will be played beneath the iconic sails of the Vancouver Convention Centre.

“We are excited to partner with TCL as this event aligns well with many of its current marketing initiatives,” said Brooks Downing, President of bd Global, the event producer. “For a first-year event in a new market, it is this type of corporate support that is necessary to create a long-lasting premium event. We join our partners at Sport Hosting Vancouver in welcoming TCL to this international marketing platform.”

Sport Hosting Vancouver is a partnership between the City of Vancouver, Tourism Vancouver, the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association, the BC Pavilion Corporation, the University of British Columbia, and the Pacific National Exhibition. TCL is among the largest TV brands in the world with more than 20 million TVs sold worldwide last year. The brand is committed to innovation and has more than 35 research centers around the world.

All five men’s games of the TCL Vancouver Showcase will be broadcast on international networks with ESPN, TSN and the Big Ten Network airing games. The 12 games of the women’s tournament will be streamed on the official tournament website – www.vanshowcase.com. The broadcast schedule is as follows:

Sunday, Nov. 18

  • 5 p.m. Washington vs. Santa Clara – ESPN3 / TSN Direct
  • 7:30 p.m. – Texas A&M vs. Minnesota – ESPN2 / TSN

Tuesday, Nov. 20

  • 6 p.m. Santa Clara vs. Minnesota – Big Ten Network
  • 8:30 p.m. – Washington vs. Texas A&M – ESPN2 / TSN

Wednesday, Nov. 21

  • 3:30 p.m. – Minnesota vs. Washington – Big Ten Network

Thursday, Nov. 22 – Saturday, Nov. 24

  • Four women’s tournament games each day – Streamed live at VanShowcase.com

Ticket Information

Tickets for both the men’s and women’s sessions are on-sale now at TicketsTonight.ca or order by phone at 877.840.0457 (additional $5 per order via phone).

Full tournament info can be found at VanShowcase.com and on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @VanShowcase.

Vancouver Showcase announces tournament broadcast information

VANCOUVER, B.C. – For the first time, some of the best games in all of NCAA Division I basketball will play in front of the beautiful backdrop of Vancouver, British Columbia and Friday, organizers announced that all five men’s games will be broadcast on international television networks. In addition, all 12 women’s games will be streamed online. Both tournaments will be played at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Nov. 18-24, 2018.

“We are excited to showcase Vancouver to college basketball fans across North America through three different networks and our own online platform for the women’s games,” said Jon Albaugh, tournament director of the inaugural event. “We expect to have tremendous crowds at the Vancouver Convention Centre but the greater impact will come from this week-long ‘video postcard’ fans will see during these broadcasts.”

The games will be played in a temporary basketball arena that will be constructed under the iconic sails of the Convention Centre. The broadcast schedule is as follows:

Sunday, Nov. 18

  • 5 p.m. Washington vs. Santa Clara – ESPN3 / TSN Direct
  • 7:30 p.m. – Texas A&M vs. Minnesota – ESPN2 / TSN

Tuesday, Nov. 20

  • 6 p.m. Santa Clara vs. Minnesota – Big Ten Network
  • 8:30 p.m. – Washington vs. Texas A&M – ESPN2 / TSN

Wednesday, Nov. 21

  • 3:30 p.m. – Minnesota vs. Washington – Big Ten Network

Thursday, Nov. 22 – Saturday, Nov. 24

  • Four women’s tournament games each day – Streamed live at VanShowcase.com

To accommodate the television broadcasts on Big Ten Network, tip-off between Minnesota and Washington on Wednesday has been moved to 3:30 p.m. PT from the originally announced 5 p.m. start. BTN, the most successful college sports network in America, is available to more than 60 million homes in the United States.

Nationally Ranked Teams

Four nationally ranked teams in the Associated Press preseason polls will be headed north to play in this year’s Vancouver Showcase. Defending National Champion and preseason No. 1 Notre Dame leads the women’s field which includes two other Top-10 teams with No. 8 Oregon State and No. 10 South Carolina. On the men’s side, Washington enters the new season ranked No. 24 in the nation.

Ticket Information

Tickets for both Men’s and Women’s sessions are on-sale now at TicketsTonight.ca or order by phone at 877.840.0457 (additional $5 per order). Full tournament info can be found at VanShowcase.com and on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @VanShowcase.

Bahamian officials take part in media event at Towson for The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase

SPECIAL FROM TOWSON ATHLETICS

TOWSON, Md. – Towson University served as host of the “Islands of the Bahamas Showcase” press conference at SECU Arena Thursday afternoon. The event featured international dignitaries, athletic administrators and sponsors of the third annual tournament.

The Tigers are one of eight programs along with Montana, Incarnate Word, North Dakota State, Miami (Ohio), Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern and Pepperdine that will compete in the Showcase.

“It’s fun to showcase our facility even though we’re not playing the game here,” Towson athletic director Tim Leonard said. “Whenever you have ministers from another country visit your campus and see what we have offer is always great. I am really pumped up and excited for our student-athletes to travel to the Bahamas.”

This will be Towson’s third international trip over the last two seasons. The Tigers traveled to Canada last August for a summer exhibition tour. Towson stayed in Montreal and visited Ottawa and Quebec City. Towson also went to Belfast, North Ireland last December where it won the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic.

The press conference was the official kickoff of the “Islands of the Bahamas Showcase.” Speaking on behalf of the Bahamas was Lanisha T. Rolle, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, and Dionisio J. D’Aguilar, Minister of Tourism and Aviation. Also in attendance was Theo J. Neilly from the Embassy Consular of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas in Washington, D.C.

Known as one of the premier vacation spots in the world, the Bahamas is a beacon for many sports. Basketball is the most popular sport in the Bahamas, producing talents like NBA champions Mychal Thompson, father of Klay Thompson, and Rick Fox. Former Oklahoma standout Buddy Hield and 2018 NBA Draft top pick Deandre Ayton are also from the Bahamas.

“We are really excited and we’re looking forward to having Towson participate in our event,” Rolle said. “There’s confidence in our country to be able to provide the experience that the players and coaches are looking for. We were looking for an experience that not only the players benefit from but the locals as well with being able to interact with the student-athletes. I am looking for the tournament to be a tremendous experience and a memorable time.”

Towson will open the three-day tournament against Pepperdine on Friday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. at Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium in Nassau. This will be the second meeting in program history against the Waves, who are members of the West Coast Conference. The Tigers and Waves last played in the 1990-91 season.

After finishing with 18 victories for the fifth time in the last six years, Towson returns seniors Alex Thomas and Jordan McNeil along with junior Dennis Tenstall from last season’s squad that received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll during the month of December.

“It speaks volumes to our program and our administration to let us play in a first class event in an unbelievable location,” Towson head coach Pat Skerry said. “To have prime ministers and major representatives from the Bahamas here is pretty cool. We’re appreciative of the time they took out of their schedules to be here today and that says a lot about the importance of this tournament.”

This was the second press conference for the Towson men’s basketball this week. The Tigers participated in the Greater Baltimore Basketball Media Day event at UMBC Tuesday afternoon. The Tigers will also take part in the Colonial Athletic Association’s (CAA) media day on Wednesday, Oct. 17. The predicted order of finish will released as will the preseason all-conference team.

“To have two ministers from the government of the Bahamas to introduce the tournament is priceless,” bd Global president and founder Brooks Downing said. “To discuss an early season event six weeks in advance from a very key market that’s important to the Bahamas is a win-win for everybody. This is a great facility and we’re grateful to Towson for hosting this press conference.”

For complete information, visit www.thebahamasshowcase.com or follow on Twitter at @BahamasShowcase. 

Ticket & Hotel Information

All-session passes are now on-sale at www.thebahamasshowcase.com and are good for entry to any of the 12 games of the event. Fans can book rooms Grand Hyatt Baha Mar at the tournament rate, starting at $225 nightly, by visiting www.thebahamasshowcase.com.

Vancouver Showcase adds third day for men’s tournament

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Basketball fans in Vancouver will now have an additional opportunity to watch some of the best programs in U.S. college basketball when the Vancouver Showcase tips-off at the Vancouver Convention Centre. A revised men’s format, featuring a newly confirmed match-up between Washington vs. Minnesota on Nov. 21 was announced today as organizers released the final schedule for the week-long event on Nov. 18-24.

The final schedule for the men’s field will feature evening doubleheaders on Sunday, Nov. 18 and Tuesday, Nov. 20 with the additional game on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. PT.

“College basketball has seen a shift in scheduling this offseason. These changes have given us the opportunity to review our line-up and we ultimately decided that a round-robin schedule with four iconic men’s programs playing five games was better value for our fans,” said Brooks Downing, President of bd Global, the tournament organizer. “The strength of these four men’s teams will ensure we kick-off the Vancouver Showcase with some amazing basketball. For local basketball fans, this is a huge win.”

The full men’s schedule is as follows:

Sunday, Nov. 18

  • Washington vs. Santa Clara – 5 p.m. PT
  • Texas A&M vs. Minnesota – 7:30 p.m. PT

Tuesday, Nov. 20

  • Santa Clara vs. Minnesota – 6 p.m. PT
  • Washington vs. Texas A&M – 8:30 p.m. PT

Wednesday, Nov. 21

  • Minnesota vs. Washington – 5 p.m. PT

The loaded women’s field remains an eight-team tournament featuring the past two National Champions. Defending champ Notre Dame leads a field that is unrivaled for an early season tournament. The Fighting Irish will be joined by 2017 National Champion South Carolina, Pac-12 power Oregon State, defending West Coast Conference champion Gonzaga, defending Missouri Valley champion Drake, defending Conference USA champion Western Kentucky, Rutgers and ETSU. Women’s tournament games will be played on Nov. 22-24.

Ticket Information

Tickets for both Men’s and Women’s sessions are on-sale now at TicketsTonight.ca or order by phone at 877.840.0457 (additional $5 per order). Tickets for the Washington-Minnesota game on Wednesday, Nov. 21, starting at $32 CAD including fees, are available now.

For those who have purchased tickets to the afternoon sessions of the men’s tournament, full refunds will be processed this week (partial refunds for those who purchased all-session passes). Ticket customers may contact ticketstonight@tourismvancouver.com with any questions.

Full tournament info can be found at VanShowcase.com and on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @VanShowcase.

UConn, Air Force, Western Michigan & St. Lawrence headline 2019 Ice Vegas Invitational

LAS VEGAS– College hockey returns to T-Mobile Arena in January when four of the nation’s top programs face-off in the second-annual Ice Vegas Invitational. The four-team tournament, featuring UConn, Air Force, Western Michigan and St. Lawrence, will be played January 4-5, 2019 as announced Monday by bd Global, who will promote the event in partnership with T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.

The NCAA Division I action commences on Friday, Jan. 4, 2019 with UConn versus Western Michigan at 5 p.m. PT followed by Air Force facing St. Lawrence at 8:30 p.m. The championship and consolation games will be played Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, with game times both days scheduled for 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

“We are thrilled with this lineup in year two of staging this tournament,” said Brooks Downing, president of bd Global (www.bdglobalsports.com). “There’s so much interest in Las Vegas and T-Mobile Arena from the college hockey community and that’s largely due in part to the massive success of the Golden Knights. Hockey fans here in the Valley will be able to see some of the very best talent in the sport, future professional stars.”

Western Michigan, expected to be a Top-25 team for the upcoming season, saw 10 of its players participate in NHL Development Camps this past summer. Three of those players, Corey Schueneman, Dawson DiPietero and Paul Cotter, participated in the Vegas Golden Knights’ camp. Cotter, a freshman forward for WMU, was selected by the Golden Knights in the fourth round of the NHL Draft. The Broncos will face a talented UConn team that will add four incoming freshmen that were selected in the NHL Draft – Ruslan Iskakov (43rd overall by the New York Islanders), Jáchym Kondelík (111th by Nashville), Kale Howarth (148th by Columbus) and Tomas Vomacka (154th by Nashville).

Air Force will be a local favorite given that Las Vegas is home to Nellis Air Force Base, home to more than 9,500 military and civilians as part of its work force. Air Force won its seventh Atlantic Hockey Conference title in the last 12 years last season and advanced to the NCAA Tourmament. The Falcons defeated No. 1 St. Cloud State to advance to the Elite Eight before falling to eventual National Champion Minnesota Duluth. Air Force will be led by Cadet 1st Class Kyle Haak whom was selected as both the Air Force Association Cadet of the Year and U.S. Air Force Cadet of the Year for 2018. Haak, one of seven seniors whom will lead this season’s team, hopes to become an Air Force fighter pilot after graduation next summer. Air Force will be tested in the opening round by a rising St. Lawrence program led by coach Mark Morris whom holds the destinction as being the only coach to have won 300 college games and 300 professional games. The Saints add one of the best recruiting classes in program history to a strong returning lineup.

Tickets will go on-sale on Friday, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. PT at AXS.com or by calling 888-9AXSTIX. Ticket information and hotel room information for fans can be found at www.icevegasinvitational.com.

Tournament Schedule

Friday, Jan. 4

  • UConn vs. Western Michigan – 5 p.m.
  • Air Force vs. St. Lawrence – 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 5

  • Consolation Game – 5 p.m.
  • Championship Game – 8:30 p.m.

All times are Pacific.

2018 MGM Resorts Main Event Middleweight Bracket announced

LAS VEGAS – Defending MAAC champion Iona leads the field four-team Middleweight Bracket of the 2018 MGM Resorts Main Event. The Gaels, 20-14 last season after falling to Duke in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, will be joined by Hartford (19-14 last season), Utah Valley (23-11) and Long Beach State (15-18). The Middleweight games will be played at Cox Pavilion on the campus of UNLV, only two miles from the Las Vegas Strip, while the Heavyweight Bracket plays at T-Mobile Arena each evening.

The Middleweight Bracket schedule is as follows:

Monday, Nov. 19

  • Hartford vs. Long Beach State – 11 a.m. PT
  • Iona vs. Utah Valley – 2 p.m. PT

Wednesday, Nov. 21

  • Consolation Game – 11 a.m. PT
  • Championship Game – 2 p.m. PT

Tickets will go on-sale soon at UNLVTickets.com. Ticket information and hotel room information for the MGM Resorts Main Event can also be found at www.mgmresortsmainevent.com.

Texas, Duke, Missouri headline deep women’s field for Gulf Coast Showcase

ESTERO, Fla.– Three Top-25 teams highlight the women’s field for the sixth annual Gulf Coast Showcase, the annual men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments played each Thanksgiving at Germain Arena. Texas, Duke and Missouri all finished among the Top-25 at the end of last season and expected to be ranked once again in the pre-season polls.

“This year’s field may be deepest in the six years of the Gulf Coast Showcase,” said Debbie Antonelli, ESPN analyst and Women’s Tournament Director. “Five teams – Quinnipiac, Duke, Texas, Michigan and Missouri – played in the NCAA Tournament with two of those advancing to the Sweet 16. Seven of the eight teams won 22+ games last season and the eighth team, Washington, is two years removed from playing in a Final Four.

“Any of these teams are capable of winning three straight on Thanksgiving weekend so the title is certainly up for grabs this year.”

Texas adds the nation’s No. 2 recruit Charli Collier to a deep front court but will be replacing former Big 12 Player of the Year Brooke McCarty. The Longhorns will open at 5 p.m. on Friday against a Quinnipiac squad that has won three games as a lower seed in the past two NCAA Tournaments and made a run to the Sweet 16 in 2017, losing to eventual champion South Carolina. The second game of the evening session will feature Missouri, led by All-American candidate Sophie Cunningham, versus Michigan at 7:30 p.m. in a match-up of two NCAA Tournament teams from last season.

The schedule for the opening round of the women’s tournament is as follows:

  • 11 a.m. ET – Fordham vs. Ball State
  • 1:30 p.m. ET – Duke vs. Washington
  • 5 p.m. ET – Texas vs. Quinnipiac
  • 7:30 p.m. ET – Missouri vs. Michigan

Game times for Saturday and Sunday will be the same with semifinal games on Nov. 24 at 5:00/7:30. Sunday’s championship game will tip at 7:30.

For the fourth consecutive year, the tournament will support the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. The hospital is the only children’s hospital between Tampa and Miami and provides vital health care for the region’s sick and injured children and their families. The hospital’s new $242 million facility provides 300,000 square feet of space, 128 pediatric and NICU beds with space to expand to 160 beds, a 17-bay emergency department, a freestanding pediatric pharmacy and in-hospital school classroom.

Ticket and Fan Travel Information

Tickets for the 2018 Gulf Coast Showcase go on-sale now at GermainArena.com or through Ticketmaster. All-Tournament passes for either the men’s tournament or women’s tournament are available for $74, $99 or $149 per tournament with single session tickets ranging from $10 General Admission to $45 Courtside for each two-game session. Each day of the tournament will feature an afternoon session (starting at 11 a.m.) and evening session (5 p.m.) and tickets will be good for both games of a given session.

Fan travel information, including preferred hotel rates at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, is available on GulfCoastShowcase.com.

Jim Hayford named head coach at Seattle U.

SEATTLE – Jim Hayford has been named Seattle University’s men’s basketball head coach, Director of Athletics Shaney Fink announced Wednesday. Hayford comes to Seattle U from Eastern Washington University where he spent the last six years at the helm of the Eagles’ program.

Hayford, will be formally introduced at a press conference to be held tomorrow, Thursday, March 30, at 11:00 a.m. (PT) in the Student Center Hearth. Hayford will be the 17th head coach in Seattle University history.