Gotham Classic Begins on Wednesday

Gotham Classic Begins on Wednesday

December 9, 2015

The fourth annual Gotham Classic tips off on Wednesday when Davidson hosts Eastern Washington and continues through December 23.

Davidson and Eastern Washington will be joined by Pittsburgh, Morehead State, and Western Carolina. The format for the Gotham Classic sees Pitt and Davidson hosting three games while squaring off with each other in the Showcase Game at Madison Square Garden on December 20. Eastern Washington, Morehead State and Western Carolina will each play at Pitt and Davidson and will also play a round-robin with each other, each playing one game at home and one on the road.

Tickets for the Gotham Classic Showcase Game between Pitt and Davidson at MSG on December 20 can be purchased at http://bit.ly/1OlTywJ

Here is a look at the field for the 2016 Gotham Classic:

pittPittsburgh Panthers (6-1)
Head Coach: Jamie Dixon
Atlantic Coast Conference
In 12+ years, head coach Jamie Dixon has guided the Panthers to at least 20 wins in 11 of those campaigns…he has also led Pitt to the postseason all previous 12 seasons, including 10 NCAA Tournament berths, a trip to last year’s NIT, and the 2012 CBI championship…the Panthers are led by leading scorer and rebounder Michael Young (16.6 ppg, 9.0 rpg) and Jamel Artis (14.3 ppg), both of whom are juniors…Pittsburgh has been to 25 NCAA Tournaments with one trip to the Final Four.

Gotham Classic Schedule: Dec. 11 vs. Eastern Washington; Dec. 13 vs. Morehead State; Dec. 20 vs. Davidson (MSG); Dec. 23 vs. Western Carolina

davidsonDavidson Wildcats (5-1)
Head Coach: Bob McKillop
Atlantic 10 Conference
The Wildcats are coming off their first season as a member of the Atlantic 10…after being picked 12th in the league’s preseason poll, Davidson won the A-10 regular season title and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament…the Wildcats are led by the back court of junior Jack Gibbs (24.6 ppg, 5th in nation) and senior Brian Sullivan (16.5 ppg, 28 assists)…head coach Bob McKillop is in his 27th season at Davidson, having amassed over 500 victories…the Wildcats have participated in 13 NCAA Tournaments, eight of which have come during McKillop’s tenure.

Gotham Classic Schedule: Dec. 9 vs. Eastern Washington; Dec. 12 vs. Western Carolina; Dec. 20 vs. Pittsburgh (MSG); Dec. 23 vs. Morehead State

ewuEastern Washington Eagles (5-3)
Head Coach: Jim Hayford
Big Sky Conference
EWU posted a 26-9 record en route to winning a share of the Big Sky Conference regular season championship, the league’s postseason tournament championship, and earning a NCAA Tournament berth for the second time ever (2003-04)…head coach Jim Hayford, the Big Sky co-Coach of the Year, has five letterwinners back as well as three 2014-15 redshirts, including senior forward Venky Jois (13.6 ppg), a first-team all-league honoree who is third in the country with a .724 field goal percentage…forward Bogdan Bliznyuk (14.6 ppg) was named the Big Sky’s Freshman of the Year last season.

Gotham Classic Schedule: Dec. 9 at Davidson; Dec. 11 at Pittsburgh; Dec. 14 at Western Carolina; Dec. 17 vs. Morehead State

msuMorehead State Eagles (5-2)
Head Coach: Sean Woods
Ohio Valley Conference
The Eagles went 17-17 and advanced to the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament last season…senior guard Brent Arrington (6.9 ppg) leads a group of six returning players from a year ago…he’s joined in the back court by the team’s leading scorer, junior Corban Collins (11.9 ppg)…head coach Sean Woods is in his fourth season at Morehead State…the 52 wins over his first three seasons are the most by any Eagles’ coach in history.

Gotham Classic Schedule: Dec. 13 at Pittsburgh; Dec. 17 at Eastern Washington; Dec. 20 vs. Western Carolina; Dec. 23 at Davidson

wcuWestern Carolina Catamounts (3-5)
Head Coach: Larry Hunter
Southern Conference
Head coach Larry Hunter, who has won over 665 games in 36+ seasons as a head coach, welcomes back 10 players, including four starters, from a team that went 15-17 a year ago in advancing to the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament…leading the way is senior guard Mike Brown, who is the Catamounts’ leading scorer (17.0 ppg) and their second leading rebounder (5.9 rpg)…senior forward Torrion Brummitt is WCU’s second leading scorer (13.3 ppg) and top rebounder (6.0 rpg) this year.

Gotham Classic Schedule: Dec. 12 at Davidson; Dec. 14 vs. Eastern Washington; Dec. 20 at Morehead State; Dec. 23 at Pittsburgh

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