2019 Legends Announcement Generic

Wisconsin, Auburn, Richmond, and New Mexico to play in 2019 Legends Classic

March 12, 2019

PRINCETON, N.J./BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Nationally-ranked Wisconsin, Auburn, Richmond and New Mexico headline the field for the 2019 Legends Classic (@legendsbball), which culminates with the Championship Rounds at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Nov. 25-26.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, March 14, at noon (ET) for the Championship Rounds of the 13th annual Legends Classic men’s basketball tournament, and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or through Ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center starting Friday, March 15, at noon.

Wisconsin, Auburn, Richmond, and New Mexico will each host a pair of regional round games on campus in addition to facing off at Barclays Center in the Championship Rounds on Nov. 25-26.

The complete field and schedule will be announced at a later date.

Wisconsin (Head Coach: Greg Gard, Big Ten Conference) – Now in his fourth season at Wisconsin, Greg Gard has led the Badgers to a 22-9 record, marking the 15th time in the last 17 years that Wisconsin has won at least 20 games…looking for their 20th NCAA Tournament berth in the last 21 seasons, Wisconsin features a starting lineup with three sophomores, led by guard D’Mitrik Trice, who averages 11.9 ppg to go along with 78 assists, backcourt mate Brad Davison has 33 steals and is netting 10.9 ppg and forward Nate Reuvers averages 7.9 ppg and 3.9 rpg and has a team-high 58 blocked shots…the Badgers are making their first appearance in the Legends Classic.

Auburn (Head Coach: Bruce Pearl, Southeastern Conference) – In five seasons, Bruce Pearl has brought life back to the Auburn program…with a 22-9 record, the Tigers have posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1998-99 and 1999-2000 and for just the fourth time in school history…three starters from this year’s squad are expected to return next season, including junior guard Jared Harper who leads Auburn with 183 assists to go with a 15.2 ppg average…sophomore forward Chuma Okeke nets 11.9 ppg and paces the team in rebounding at 6.8 rpg…junior forward Anfernee McLemore tallies 7.3 ppg…Auburn is making their Legends Classic debut in November.

Richmond (Head Coach: Chris Mooney, Atlantic 10 Conference) – Now in his 14th season at Richmond, Chris Mooney is the school’s all-time winningest coach with 249 victories…next season, all five starters are expected to return for the Spiders, along with seven additional players…three sophomores lead that group, spearheaded by Grant Golden, the Spiders’ leading scorer (17.4 ppg) and rebounder (7.1 rpg)…guard Jacob Gilyard has a team-best 148 assists and averages 16.8 ppg…forward Nathan Cayo scores at a 12.9 ppg clip…also expected back is junior guard Nick Sherod, who averaged 12.7 ppg before a season-ending injury in six games into the season…Richmond is playing in its first Legends Classic.

New Mexico (Head Coach: Paul Weir, Mountain West Conference) – Paul Weir is in his second season at New Mexico and is expected to welcome back three starters and five of the top six scorers from this year’s squad…sophomore swingman Vance Jackson is second among the Lobos with a 12.3 ppg average and 7.1 rpg average…junior forward Carlton Bragg tops the Lobos with an 9.3 rpg average while netting 10.9 ppg…UNM will also welcome back Ohio State transfer JaQuan Lyle, a junior who sat out this season due to injury…New Mexico scored its signature win of the year, downing then-No. 5 Nevada, 85-58…the Lobos are making their first Legends Classic appearance.

In the 2018 Legends Classic, Shamorie Ponds set a championship round scoring record in leading St. John’s to the title. Ponds scored 35 points and had seven assists and seven steals as the Red Storm came from behind to beat VCU, 87-86 in overtime. He was clutch down the stretch, hitting a layup with 28 seconds left in regulation to put the Red Storm up 73-72, and in overime scoring eight points, including the game-winning lay-up with four seconds remaining. Ponds’ 67 points broke one of the oldest Legends Classic records. The previous mark of 52 was set in the inaugural Legends Classic in 2007 by A.J. Abrams of Texas. Ponds also broke Abrams’ four-game scoring record with 108 points.

About the Legends Classic
Begun in 2007, the Legends Classic has become one of the nation’s most eagerly-anticipated early-season men’s basketball tournaments. Regularly attracting the top programs in the country, four teams from the most prestigious conferences in the country host a pair of games before heading to Brooklyn, N.Y., and Barclays Center – the home of the Brooklyn Nets – to complete in the nationally televised Legends Classic Championship Rounds.

About the Gazelle Group
The Legends 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 Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, the Gotham Classic, the Sunshine Slam, and the College Basketball Invitational. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.

About the Northeast Conference
The Northeast Conference (NEC) is the sponsoring conference of the Legends Classic. Now in its 37th 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 www.northeastconference.org or follow on Twitter @NECsports.

About BSE Global
BSE Global, formerly Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, develops and operates state-of-the-art venues and manages premier sports franchises, delivering dynamic content and experiences for audiences. BSE oversees programming, marketing, sales, and operations for Barclays Center; NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum; LIU Brooklyn Paramount Theatre; and Webster Hall. BSE manages and controls the Brooklyn Nets and its NBA G League team, the Long Island Nets, as well as the business operations of the NHL’s New York Islanders.

Barclays Center, which opened on September 28, 2012, offers 17,732 seats for basketball, 15,795 for hockey, and up to 19,000 seats for concerts, and has 101 luxury suites, four bars/lounges, four clubs, and Parm Italian Restaurant & 40/40 CLUB by Tanduay Rum.

NYCB LIVE reopened on April 5, 2017 after undergoing an extensive renovation. The venue offers 14,500 seats for basketball, MMA and boxing, 13,900 for hockey, up to 15,000 for concerts, and 4,500 seats for its theater configuration.

With a focus on emerging businesses, BSE identifies and creates alliances, strategic partnerships and other business opportunities to ensure the success of its assets.

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