2019 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament Announced
CCSU will travel to Arizona State and UMass before playing two games at Mohegan Sun Arena in November.
The Central Connecticut men's basketball program will participate in the 2019 Basketball Hall of Fame Tournament presented by Citi it was announced on Wednesday. The Blue Devils will play at Arizona State and Massachusetts before playing two contests at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The campus round of the tournament will run from Nov. 14-20 while the Mohegan Sun Arena portion will be held Nov. 23 and Nov. 24.
"It's an honor for our program to be included in field for this season's Tip-Off Tournament," said CCSU head coach Donyell Marshall. "It's a competitive field and it gives our players a chance to challenge themselves against some tough teams. We are looking forward to being part of this event organized by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame."
The Blue Devils will play at Arizona State on Nov. 14 before travelling to UMass on Nov. 16. Central will travel to Mohegan Sun Arena on Nov. 23 to face Vermont as part of a four-game slate featuring all eight participating teams. The games on Nov. 24 will feature the champions of Naismith and Springfield brackets being crowned as well as consolation games for both. CCSU is in the Springfield bracket, along with Vermont, Rider and Columbia.
Teams scheduled to participate in this year's Tip-Off Tournament are: Arizona State University (Pac-12), Central Connecticut State University (Northeast), Columbia University (Ivy League), Rider University (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), St. John's University (Big East), University of Massachusetts (Atlantic 10), University of Vermont (America East) and defending national champion University of Virginia (Atlantic Coast).
"The Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament continues to be one of the best early season events featuring outstanding programs in a tremendous destination venue for fans," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "We're proud to host this year's field of teams, including the defending national champions, and their fans at beautiful Mohegan Sun."
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will continue to serve as the host conference for the annual event. The MAAC has developed a strong partnership with the Basketball Hall of Fame, including the addition of a MAAC exhibit in the Hall of Fame museum in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is also proud to continue its relationship with Learfield IMG College for sponsorship representation of its portfolio of collegiate events. This year's series of collegiate events will be announced in the coming weeks.
General public tickets will go on sale Friday, September 6 at 10 a.m. ET via all Ticketmaster outlets and the Mohegan Sun Arena box office. Pre-sales for participating schools begin Monday, June 3. Neutral site game schedule, television details and an exclusive pre-sale opportunity via Citi will be released at a later date. For more information, please visit www.halloffametipoff.com.
Arizona State
St. John's
UMass
Virginia
Springfield Bracket
Central Connecticut
Columbia
Rider
Vermont
Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament presented by Citi Schedule
Campus Round Schedule
November 14
Central Connecticut State at Arizona State
November 16
Vermont at St. John's
Central Connecticut State at University of Massachusetts
Columbia at University of Virginia
November 17
Rider at Arizona State
November 19
Vermont at University of Virginia
Columbia at St. John's
November 20
Rider at University of Massachusetts
Neutral Site Brackets at Mohegan Sun Arena
November 23
Vermont vs. Central Connecticut (Springfield Bracket)
Rider vs. Columbia (Springfield Bracket)
Arizona State vs. St. John's (Naismith Bracket)
Virginia vs. UMass (Naismith Bracket)
November 24
Springfield Consolation Bracket
Naismith Championship Bracket
Naismith Consolation Bracket
Springfield Championship Game
Quotes from Participating Head Coaches
"We look forward to our trip east to compete in another great November tournament. We have played well the past two Thanksgiving weeks and know it will take the same type of high-level effort to bring home another trophy. It will be great to see some New England Sun Devils and get to a part of the country we haven't been and play against teams from solid conferences." – Bob Hurley, Arizona State University
"Anything associated with the Basketball Hall of Fame is an honor to be a part of. We're looking forward to this tournament and hope our fans will be able to make the short trip to Mohegan Sun to watch us play. The field is very competitive, and it will be a nice challenge for us early in the season." – Jim Engles, Columbia University
"We're excited to be playing in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament this year. It's a highly-competitive field that will test us early and prepare our team for conference play." – Kevin Bagget, Rider University
"We look forward to competing in the 2019 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena. It is an honor for our program to be affiliated with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of this first-class event that will present a challenge for our team going up against top-tier competition." – Mike Anderson, St. John's University
"We're really excited about taking part in this marquee event and the opportunity to play the defending national champion Virginia Cavaliers. Our friends with the Basketball Hall of Fame have put together a great field and I know our fans will be excited to see these terrific teams play in the Mohegan Sun Arena." – Matt McCall, University of Massachusetts
"We are excited to participate in Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament again this year with an opportunity to play the storied programs in St. John's and Virginia, with the latter being the defending national champions. Mohegan Sun is a world class facility and a great destination for our fans." – John Becker, University of Vermont
"We are looking forward to the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in November. The competitive field will provide quality competition for our team." – Tony Bennett, University of Virginia
About Mohegan Sun:
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Today. It has won "Casino of The Year" at the Country Music Awards in 2008 & 2010 and in 2013, was voted "Arena Of The Year" at the G2E Global Gaming Conference in Las Vegas. Mohegan Sun Arena was also ranked among the top 10 arena venues in the nation for 2014, regardless of size. In 2015, Mohegan Sun took home the IEBA award for "Casino of the Year." Mohegan Sun also won "Casino of the Year" in 2 categories at the 2013 & 2016 Academy of Country Music Awards. For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week's schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at ?1-888.226-7711, ext. 27163.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
The MAAC, headquartered in Edison, N.J., consists of 11 member institutions: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University and Siena College. For more on the conference, please visit www.maacsports.com.
About Citi:
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citibank | YouTube:www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall #HOFTipOff or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.