2017 2K CLASSIC Wounded Warrior Project
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2017 2K CLASSIC benefItIng Wounded WArrIor ProjeCt Media Contact: Ray Cella: 609-921-1300, [email protected] www.2kclassic.com | Twitter: @2kclassic | Facebook: 2K Sports Classic | Instagram: @2kclassic 2K CLASSIC: The 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, the nation’s premier season-opening college THE FIELD basketball tournament, is celebrating its 23rd anniversary this season and 20th season at Madison Square Garden. Teams from across the nation will compete with Providence, Virginia Tech, Washington, and Saint Louis serving as Regional Round hosts. Regional Round action began Nov. 10 with the four hosts advancing • Providence to the Championship Rounds presented by Continental Tire, Nov. 16-17, at New York’s Madison Square • Virginia Tech Garden. The remainder of the field will participate in the Subregional Round held at Belmont, Nov. 18-19. • Washington Joining the four Regional Round hosts in the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project are Belmont, • Saint Louis Detroit Mercy, Houston Baptist, and Seattle. • Belmont ABOUT WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT: The 2017 2K Classic marks the fifth year that Wounded Warrior • Detroit Mercy Project is the beneficiary of the event. With the mission to honor and empower Wounded Warriors, WWP • Houston Baptist is the hand extended to encourage warriors as they adjust to their new normal and achieve new triumphs. • Seattle Offering a variety of programs and services, WWP is equipped to serve warriors with every type of injury – from the physical to the invisible wounds of war. For more information about Wounded Warrior Project, log onto www.WoundedWarriorProject.org CREDENTIAL INFORMATION For credentials to the Championship Rounds of the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project at Madison Square Garden, contact Ray Cella ([email protected]) at the Gazelle Group. FOLLOW 2K CLASSIC MEDIA CONTACTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA... Providence Arthur Parks O: 401-865-2759 [email protected] Virginia Tech Bill Dyer O: 540-231-8852 [email protected] Washington Ashley Walker O: 206-543-2230 [email protected] Saint Louis Brian Kunderman O: 314-977-3346 [email protected] Belmont Greg Sage O: 615-460-6698 [email protected] Detroit Mercy P.J. Gradowski O: 313-993-1746 [email protected] @2kclassic 2K Sports Classic Houston Baptist Jeff Sutton O: 281-649-3208 [email protected] Seattle Sarah Finney O: 206-296-5915 [email protected] TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the Championship Rounds at Madison Square Garden may be purchased through TicketMaster: @2kclassic TicketMaster ticketmaster.com 866-448-7849 Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games and 2K China. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®, Borderlands™, and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization series, the innovative Evolve™, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise*. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). For more information, please visit www.2k.com. 2K CLASSIC benefItIng WOUnDeD WARRIOR PROJeCt 2017 2K CLASSIC BENEFITING WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT 2KClassic.com @2kclassic @2kclassic @2kSportsClassic All Times Eastern (schedule subject to change) PROVIDENCE REGIONAL BLACKSBURG REGIONAL ALUMNI HALL / DUNKIN’ DONUTS CENTER - PROVIDENCE, R.I. CASSELL COLISEUM - BLACKSBURG, VA. NOVEMBER 10 7:00 PM NOVEMBER 22 7:00 PM NOVEMBER 10 6:00 PM NOVEMBER 21 7:00 PM Houston Baptist 55 Belmont Detroit Mercy 79 Houston Baptist Providence 84 Providence Virginia Tech 111 Virginia Tech SEATTLE REGIONAL ST. LOUIS REGIONAL ALASKA AIRLINES ARENA - SEATTLE, WASH. CHAIFETZ ARENA - ST. LOUIS, MO. NOVEMBER 10 10:00 PM NOVEMBER 24 3:00 PM NOVEMBER 10 8:00 PM NOVEMBER 22 8:00 PM Belmont 82 Seattle Seattle 46 Detroit Mercy Washington 86 Washington Saint Louis 62 Saint Louis CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS PRESENTED BY NOVEMBER 16 NOVEMBER 17 Virginia Tech 7:00 PM Saint Louis 7:30 PM Providence CHAMPION 9:30 PM Washington 5:00 PM THIRD PLACE NASHVILLE SUBREGIONAL - CURB EVENT CENTER - NASHVILLE, TENN. NOVEMBER 18 2:00 PM NOVEMBER 18 4:30 PM NOVEMBER 19 TBA NOVEMBER 19 TBA Seattle Houston Baptist Consolation Championship Detroit Belmont Game Game 475 WALL STREET | PRINCETON, NJ 08540 | 609-921-1300 | GAZELLEGROUP.COM 2K CLASSIC benefItIng WOUnDeD WARRIOR PROJeCt OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT WEBSITE: The official website of the HOME SWEET HOME: This year marks the 20th consecutive year that tournament is www.2KClassic.com. The site contains the latest news Madison Square Garden will serve as host of the Championship Rounds and information regarding the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior of the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project. The first two years Project. (1995, 1996) the event was held at what was then known as Convention Hall (now Boardwalk Hall) in Atlantic City, N.J. The 1997 tournament took YEAR-BY-YEAR CHAMPIONS place at Continental Airlines Arena (now IZOD Center) in East Rutherford, Champion Runner-Up Score N.J. The event will continue at Madison Square Garden through at least 2016 Michigan SMU 76-54 the 2020-21 season. 2015 #5 Duke Georgetown 86-84 2014 #10 Texas California 71-55 WELCOME BACK: Washington, Belmont, Detroit Mercy, and Seattle return 2013 #18 Connecticut* Indiana 59-58 to the 2K Classic this season. Washington went 1-3 in its 2013 appearance. 2012 Alabama Villanova 77-55 Seattle also went 1-3 in its 2010 appearance. Detroit Mercy is 4-4 in 2011 Mississippi State #16 Arizona 67-57 2K Classic play, participating in 2009 and 2013 and winning the 2013 2010 #4 Pittsburgh #22 Texas 68-66 Subregional in Albany, N.Y. Belmont went 0-2 in 2004. 2009 #24 Syracuse #4 North Carolina 87-71 2008 #10 Duke Michigan 71-56 NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: Three student-athletes from the New York 2007 #3 Memphis Connecticut 81-70 metropolitan area will participate in the 2K Classic games at The Garden: 2006 Maryland Michigan State 72-70 2005 Florida* #16 Syracuse 75-70 PC Alpha Diallo So. New York, N.Y./Brewster Acad. (N.H.) 2004 #6 Syracuse #23 Memphis 77-62 (Frederick Douglass Acad., Harlem) 2003 Showcase Format SLU D.J. Foreman RJr. Spring Valley, N.Y./Rutgers #21 Wake Forest 85, Memphis 76 Jermaine Bishop R.So. Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross #23 Marquette 52, St. John’s 45 #18 Saint Joseph’s 73, #12 Gonzaga 66 CATAPULTING INTO THE RANKINGS: The Classic has catapulted several #22 Pittsburgh 71, Alabama 62 teams into the national rankings based on their performance in the 2002 Showcase Format event, none so much as Arizona (2001) and Syracuse (2009). The Wildcats Memphis 70, Syracuse* 63 entered the 2001 event unranked, but wins over No. 2 Maryland (71-67) #8 Alabama 68, #3 Oklahoma 62 and No. 6 Florida (75-71) sent Arizona to No. 8 in the Associated Press poll #4 Texas 77, #16 Georgia 71 immediately after the tournament. Syracuse experienced the same rush #18 Marquette 73, Villanova 61 in 2009. The Orange, unranked in the AP poll and 25th in the ESPN/USA 2001 Arizona #6 Florida 75-71 Today poll, won four games in the event, including a semifinal win over 2000 #7 Kansas St. John’s 82-74 No. 12 California (95-73) and a win in the title game against No. 4 North 1999 #13 Stanford Iowa 72-58 Carolina (87-71). The next week, the Orange were ranked ninth by ESPN/ 1998 #7 Temple Wake Forest 59-48 USA Today and 10th by the AP. 1997 Princeton N.C. State 38-36 1996 Showcase Format THE MAN: Ohio State’s Evan Turner posted a triple-double when he went Saint Joseph’s 67, #21 Tulsa 64 for 14 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Buckeyes’ 100-60 win Temple 76, Georgia Tech 58 over Alcorn State on Nov. 9, 2009. Turner went on to break or tie five 1995 Showcase Format tournament records that year to earn all-tournament honors. However, La Salle 68, Marquette 65 Turner did not earn Most Valuable Player honors in 2009. The award went Penn State 88, Penn 61 to Syracuse’s Wes Johnson, who led the Orange to the Classic title. *went on to win the National Championship that season SELECT COMPANY: In the last 12 NBA drafts, 15 players who have played PUNCH YOUR TICKET: Since the beginning of the Classic in 1995, in the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project have been selected all but three teams that have won the Championship have gone on in the top 10. Most recently, Duke’s Brandon Ingram, who played in the to the NCAA Tournament. In the previous 22 years, 18 champions 2015 2K Classic, was chosen second by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016. In have been crowned (there was a showcase format in 1995, 1996, 2008 and 2009, the overall top pick was a tournament alum. In 2009 Blake 2002, and 2003). Of those 18 champions, two have won a National Griffin of Oklahoma was selected by the Clippers and in 2008 Derrick Rose Championship (Connecticut, 2013; Florida, 2005), one has lost in of Memphis went to the Bulls. A complete list of tournament NBA draftees the title game (Memphis, 2007), one has advanced to the Elite Eight can be found in this packet.