2K Sports Classic Officially Tips-Off the 2011-12 College Basketball Season

2K Sports Classic Officially Tips-Off the 2011-12 College Basketball Season
St. John's, Arizona, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State headline the field

Princeton, N.J. - The 17th annual 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer officially begins the 2011-12 college basketball season on Monday.

The season begins on Monday, Nov. 7, with three games played across the country:

* At 7:00pm (ET), St. John's hosts William & Mary in a game that will be aired on ESPNU.

* At 8:00pm (ET), Eastern Kentucky travels to Mississippi State to face the Bulldogs.

* At 9:00pm (ET) on ESPNU, No. 16 Arizona takes on Valparaiso and head coach Bryce Drew, who will be making his head coaching debut against the Wildcats.

Four more Regional Round games will be played on Wednesday, Nov. 9:

* At 7:00pm (ET), Lehigh will be at St. John's (ESPN2).

* At 7:00pm (ET), Mississippi State will host Akron (ESPNU).

* At 8:00pm (ET), Texas A&M will be home to Liberty.

* At 9:00pm (ET), Duquesne will be at Arizona (ESPN2).

St. John's, Arizona, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State will then travel to New York City and square off in the Championship Rounds of the 2K Sports Classic. Semifinal games will take place on Thursday Nov. 17 (Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State; St. John's vs. Arizona) with the consolation and championship games being played on Nov. 18.

All four Championship Round contests will air on ESPN2. The remainder of the field will participate in Subregional Round action at Liberty, Valparaiso, and Akron.

In the 2010 2K Sports Classic, Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs scored 24 points to lead the then No. 4 Panthers to a thrilling 68-66 win over then No. 22 Texas. Both teams used their 2K Sports Classic success to jump start tremendous seasons as both teams reached a high of No. 2 in the national polls.

2K Sports, known for delivering the most innovative and realistic sports simulation experience available, is the title sponsor of the event for the seventh 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 Progressive CBE Classic, TicketCity Legends Classic, the CBI presented by Zebra Pen, and the All-American Championship. The Gazelle Group is a member of USA Basketball. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit www.gazellegroup.com.

The Coaches vs. Cancer program, a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), exists to leverage the strength and community leadership of the nation's basketball coaches to raise awareness and reduce the risk of cancer while raising funds for the American Cancer Society's fight to save lives from cancer.

Beginning in 2012, Wounded Warrior Project will become the beneficiary of the event. 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.