Kats one of 12 top teams in 2011 CBE Classic
8/18/2011 4:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Sam Houston State is one of 12 top NCAA Division I men's basketball teams that have been selected to participate in the 11th annual College Basketball Experience (CBE) Classic in November.
Missouri, Notre Dame, California, and Georgia will serve as the four Regional Round hosts with play beginning in the 2011 CBE Classic on Nov. 13. Each of the four Regional Round hosts will play two games on campus before advancing to the Championship Rounds, Nov. 21-22, at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Joining Sam Houston, Missouri, Notre Dame, Cal, and Georgia in the 2011 CBE Classic are Austin Peay, Bowling Green, Detroit, George Washington, Mercer, Niagara and South Dakota State.
Bowling Green and Mercer will serve as Subregonal Round hosts for games played Nov. 21-23.
The Bearkats will open play in the tournament on Wednesday Nov. 16 against Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. Sam Houston will participate in the CBE Classic Subregional at the University Center in Macon, Ga., playing Mercer on Monday Nov. 21, South Dakota State on Tuesday Nov. 22 and Niagara on Wednesday Nov. 23.
"This is a great opportunity for Sam Houston State men's basketball," Bearkat head coach Jason Hooten said. "Not only will participating in the CBE Classic bring the program national attention but our young squad will get valuable experience playing against other outstanding teams."
ESPN networks will televise eight games of the CBE Classic, including all four games of the Championship Rounds. The semifinal doubleheader on Nov. 21 featuring Missouri-Notre Dame and Cal-Georgia will be shown on ESPN2 beginning at 7:30pm (ET). On Nov. 22, the consolation game will air on ESPNU at 7:45pm (ET), followed by the championship game on ESPN2.
Four Regional Round games will also be televised, beginning with two games on ESPNU on Nov. 13 - Bowling Green at Georgia (6:00pm ET) and George Washington at Cal (TBA). On Nov. 14, ESPNU will televise the Detroit at Notre Dame game at 9:00pm (ET) and on Nov. 15 the Austin Peay-Cal game will be seen on ESPN2.
The 2010 CBE Classic was won by defending national champion and then top-ranked Duke, which beat then No. 4 Kansas State (82-68) to earn the title. Duke freshman Kyrie Irving earned Tournament MVP honors for averaging 14 points and 6.5 assists during the Championship Rounds.
The CBE Classic is produced by the Gazelle Group in Princeton, N.J., a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting.
The event is named after the College Basketball Experience, the award-winning and highly interactive college hoops fan facility adjacent to Sprint Center, which also features the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
THE FIELD
Missouri Tigers - Have been to three straight NCAA Tournaments...the Tigers' 77 wins over the last three years are among the most in the country during that time period...return 10 players, including all five starters, from last year's 23-11 squad...senior guard Marcus Denmon, a first-team all-Big 12 choice, led the Tigers in scoring (16.9 ppg) last year...senior forward Laurence Bowers was tops in rebounding (6.1 rpg) while also scoring 11.6 ppg...first-year head coach Frank Haith led Miami to Top 25 rankings three of the last four seasons...making its fourth appearance in the event.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Have recorded five straight 20-win seasons...the Fighting Irish posted a 27-7 record last season en route to their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five years...graduate student Tim Abromatis, Notre Dame's leading returning scorer (15.4 ppg) and rebounder (6.1 rpg) and a third-team all-Big East selection, heads an impressive group of returning players...he is joined by senior guard Scott Martin, who netted 9.7 ppg...head coach Mike Brey was named Big East Coach of the Year in 2010-11...played in the 2002 event.
Cal Golden Bears - Have posted two 20-win seasons and have earned three postseason berths in the three years since four-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year Mike Montgomery has been at the helm of the program...return 10 players who saw action last year, led by senior guard Jorge Gutierrez, a first-team all-Pac-10 pick who led the Bears in scoring (14.6 ppg) and assists (148)...senior forward Harper Kamp, a second-team all-league honoree, averaged 14.2 ppg and 5.6 rpg last season.
Georgia Bulldogs - In going 21-12 last season, the Bulldogs won 20 or more games for the first time since 1997-98 and went to their first NCAA Tournament in three years...senior guard Gerald Robinson led Georgia with 133 assists while scoring 12.2 ppg...his classmate in the backcourt, Dustin Ware, led the Southeastern Conference and ranked fifth nationally in assist/turnover ratio (+3.67), tallied 8.0 ppg, and handed out 114 assists...Mark Fox, entering his third year at Georgia, has led his teams to six 20-win seasons in his seven years as a head coach.
Austin Peay Governors - Coming off a berth in the 2011 College Basketball Invitational, the Governors are led by first-team all-Ohio Valley Conference senior Tyshwan Edmondson and his 17.1 ppg average...redshirt junior Anthony Campbell, a 2009-10 second-team all-OVC choice, averaged 13.9 ppg a year ago before suffering a season-ending knee injury in December...head coach Dave Loos has been with Austin Peay over two decades, amassing more than 330 wins, including 20 last season.
Bowling Green Falcons - Seven players who started at least nine games a year ago return, including the team's top four scorers who combined to average 41.9 points last season...junior A'uston Calhoun (12.5 ppg) and senior Scott Thomas (11.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg), both 6-7 forwards, were named to the Mid-American Conference team last season...Louis Orr is in his fifth season as the Falcons' head coach...Bowling Green participated in the 2010 Legends Classic.
Detroit Titans - Return everyone from a team that won 17 games last season...sophomore Ray McCallum, son of the Titans' head coach, was named to the Freshman All-America team by collegeinsider.com and is a member of the 2011 USA World University Games team...senior Eli Holman (11.8 ppg) was named to the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Defensive All-America team and led the Horizon League in rebounds at 9.6 rpg in earning second-team all-league honors...Detroit took part in the 2006 CBE Classic.
George Washington Colonials - After an impressive six-year tenure at Vermont, Mike Lonergan takes over the Colonials this season...GW tied for fourth in the Atlantic 10 and posted a 17-14 overall record in 2010-11...senior Tony Taylor (15.0 ppg), a second-team all-Atlantic 10 selection, and junior Dwayne Smith (9.3 ppg) combine with a group of talented young players, led by the nation's freshman leader in 3-point field goal percentage, Nemanja Mikic (.436), to provide Lonergan with a solid foundation.
Mercer Bears - Bob Hoffman's first three years at Mercer have been marked by steady improvement that has landed the Bears in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament each year...his 2011-12 squad will be a young one, with only one senior returning; however, they will be in good hands at the point guard position with sophomore Langston Hall (8.2 ppg), a 2010-11 Atlantic Sun all-Freshman team selection.
Niagara Purple Eagles - Now in his 14th season, Joe Mihalich, the two-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, is aiming to improve on the previous season...the Purple Eagles return sophomore Marvin Jordan, who was named to the MAAC all-Rookie team for averaging 11.8 points per game a year ago.
Sam Houston State Bearkats - Rolled up 18 wins and earned its third consecutive Southland Conference West Division championship last year in Jason Hooten's first season as head coach...senior center Antuan Bootle is the lone returning starter for a young Bearkats squad that will feature four top junior college transfers and two talented freshmen...since 2000, Sam Houston is as the "winningest" team in the Southland Conference...played in the 2004 event.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits - Scott Nagy is in his 17th year as the Jackrabbits' head coach...coming off a 19-win season, SDSU returns four starters in 2011-12...the back court of junior Nate Wolters (19.5 ppg, 188 assists), the school's first-ever first-team all-Summit League selection, and senior Griffan Callahan (8.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg) will be key as the Jackrabbits look for their first NCAA Tournament berth at the Division I level...played in the 2005 CBE Classic.
For more information go to www.cbeclassic.com
