Princeton, NJ - Michigan State, Rutgers, Florida and UMass have been announced as the four regional hosts for the 2009 Legends Classic men's college basketball tournament.
The event will tip-off with Regional Round games November 18-22 and conclude with the four host schools automatically advancing to the Championship Rounds at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ on November 27 and 28.
The doubleheaders are scheduled to begin at 5:30 PM ET on both Friday and Saturday.
Championship Round tickets go on sale Friday, July 24 at 12:00 PM ET. Tickets start at just $10 and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-736-1420.
Head Coach Tom Izzo, of Michigan State, returns Kalin Lucas, Raymar Morgan and Delvon Roe to a team that won the Big Ten regular season and reached the National Championship game.
Fred Hill, of Rutgers, will look for Mike Rosario, Corey Chandler and Gregory Echenique to lead the Scarlet Knights in the always competitive Big East.
Florida's Billy Donovan is three years removed from back-to-back National Championships and has taken his team to the postseason in each of the last twelve seasons. The Gators return three starters, including the leading rebounder and second leading scorer, Alex Tyus.
In his second year at the helm at UMass, Derek Kellogg will look to his talented backcourt of Ricky Harris and Anthony Gurley to lead the Minutemen through the challenging A-10 schedule.
In the 2008 Championship Game, Pittsburgh defeated Washington State, 57-43. Pittsburgh went on to reach the Elite Eight and held the number one ranking on two separate occasions throughout the course of the season.
The Northeast Conference (NEC) is the sponsoring conference of the Legends Classic. Now entering its 29th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 12 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. For more information on the NEC, visit www.northeastconference.org.
Historic Boardwalk Hall first opened its doors in 1929 and recently underwent a three year, $90 million renovation to transform the building into a modern special events arena. Listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks, it has been recognized as Atlantic City's premier entertainment venue, known for high profile concerts, family shows and sporting events. Boardwalk Hall also hosts the Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship. Visit www.boardwalkhall.com for more information. For destination information about Atlantic City, visit www.atlanticcitynj.com.
The Legends Classic is produced by The Gazelle Group in 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 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic and the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). For more information on The Gazelle Group, please visit www.gazellegroup.com.
Visit LegendsClassic.com for more information on the 2009 Legends Classic.