March 12, 2014
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PRINCETON, N.J. — Tickets will go on sale Friday (March 14) for the Championship Rounds of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, which returns to Madison Square Garden for the 2014-15 men’s college basketball season. All four games of the Championship Rounds will be televised on ESPN networks.
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for Championship Round games of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project at Madison Square Garden will go on sale to the general public on Friday (March 14) and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 866-448-7849 or through Ticketmaster.com.
Highlighting the field for the 20th annual 2K Sports Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project are Syracuse, Texas, California, and Iowa. These four teams have combined for 106 NCAA Tournament appearances, with former No. 1 Syracuse, Texas, and Iowa each appearing in the Top 25 national polls this season. Each of these four teams will host a pair of regional round games on campus from Nov. 14-17 before heading to the World’s Most Famous Arena for the Championship Rounds on Nov. 20 and 21.
Iowa – The Hawkeyes are 20-11 and were ranked for 15 weeks, reaching a high of No. 10 this season… 11 members of the 15-man roster are expected back next season, including three starters… in the previous three years under head coach Fran McCaffery, Iowa has increased its win total by 15 games… the Hawkeyes have been to 22 NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Final Four three times… this will be the second time Iowa has played in the WWP Classic.
Syracuse – The Orange, who began the season 25-0 and spent three weeks at No. 1 in the polls, are currently 27-4 and ranked No. 11 in their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference…Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim led Syracuse to its 36th NCAA Tournament and fifth Final Four last season…four starters are expected to return next season while 11 underclassmen are on the Syracuse roster this season…the Orange will be looking for their third WWP Classic title (2004, 2009).
Texas – Despite fielding a team with no seniors on the roster, the Longhorns are 22-9 and spent five weeks in the national polls, peaking at No. 15…Texas has been to 30 NCAA Tournaments and three Final Fours…Rick Barnes has led the Longhorns to 14 of those tournaments and is the winningest coach in school history, averaging 24 wins in 15 full seasons in Austin…Texas will be playing in its fifth WWP Classic.
California – The Golden Bears are 18-10 this season after advancing to the third round of last year’s NCAA Tournament…that appearance marked the second straight and 18th all-time for Cal and the fifth postseason berth in head coach Mike Montgomery’s first five years in Berkeley…three starters and 10 players are expected to return next season…the Bears will be making their third WWP Classic appearance.
In all, 15-of-20 starters are expected to return next season.
Matchups for the Championship Rounds, as well as the entire bracket for the 2014 2K Sports Classic, will be announced at a later date.
At the 2013 2K Sports Classic, then No. 18 Connecticut won its two Championship Round games by a combined three points in earning its first Classic Championship in three tries. The Huskies downed Boston College, 72-70, in the semifinals before earning a 59-58 win over Indiana in the title match. It was the smallest margin of victory in the Championship Rounds in the history of the event. Shabazz Napier scored 20 points against Boston College and a game-high 27 points against Indiana to take MVP honors.
Wounded Warrior Project is the beneficiary of the 2K Sports Classic. The mission of Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is to honor and empower wounded warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla.
2K Sports, known for delivering the most innovative and realistic sports simulation experience available, is the title sponsor of the event for the ninth consecutive year. 2K Sports develops and publishes the popular and highly acclaimed NBA 2K series – the top selling and highest rated next-generation basketball video game on the market.
The 2K Sports Classic is produced by the Gazelle Group of 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 Legends Classic, the Gotham Classic, the College Basketball Invitational, and the All-American Championship. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.
The Northeast Conference (NEC) is the sponsoring conference of the 2K Sports Classic. Now in its 33rd season, the NEC is a NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. For more information on the NEC, visit the official website at northeastconference.org or follow on Twitter @NECsports.