2K Sports Classic - Empire BCBS

Pittsburgh | Texas | Maryland | Illinois

Madison Square Garden | New York, N.Y.

The 2K Sports Classic is produced by: The Gazelle Group | 475 Wall Street | Princeton, N.J. 08540 | GazelleGroup.com

COACHESvsCANCER.COM 1

SUMMARY OF SPONSORSHIP BENEFITS - Outline and Description of Sponsor Benefi ts ..................................................... 3

EVENT HISTORY AND INFORMATION - Results and Awards.............................................................................................. 5 - Demographics of College Basketball .................................................................. 7 - Event Demographics ...........................................................................................15 - Madison Square Garden ...................................................................................... 17

ADVERTISING & PROMOTION - Summary of Newspaper, Radio, Television and Direct Marketing ....................19 - Samples of Advertisements and Ticket Inserts ............................................... 22

MEDIA EXPOSURE - Commercial Units .............................................................................................. 27 - Supplemental Exposure .....................................................................................28

ON-SITE EXPOSURE & PROMOTIONS - On-Site Exposure ...............................................................................................29 - Center Hung Scoreboard Mentions ...................................................................30 - Arena Exposure ...................................................................................................31 - Customized Promotions .................................................................................... 32 - Sponsor Recognition ......................................................................................... 33

PRE-GAME HOSPITALITY - Photographs ....................................................................................................... 35

PRESS COVERAGE - Summary of Media Exposure ............................................................................ 37 - Press Releases - Samples of Newspaper & Website Articles


STATUS- Offi cial sponsor of the Championship Rounds- Category exclusivity- Use of logos associated with the event (Event, Coaches vs. Cancer, NABC, American Cancer Society)- An Event representative to act as a liaison to coordinate the implementation and activation of the sponsorship.

The Pittsburgh Panthers defeated Pittsburgh to win the 2010 Championship

MEDIA EXPOSURE- Ten (10) :60 radio commercial units on ESPN radio, from 11/8/10 - 11/19/10- Empire logo inclusion in regional New York advertising materials and activities (i.e. television, print, outdoor and advertising at Madison Square Garden).- Logo and link on the event website.

COACHESvsCANCER.COM4

ON-SITE EXPOSURE AND PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES- Five (5) minutes of “in-arena” exposure on the courtside signage during non-televised portions of the game (20 minutes total).- Two (2) public address announcements per game (8 total).- Two (2) mentions per game on the videoboard (8 total).- One (1) full page, four-color advertisement in the Offi cial Program.- Opportunity to create the “Empire BlueCross BlueShield Kids Zone” and provide the group with Event-specifi c hats. Banner was created and displayed in front of section each night. - Opportunity to make an on-court presentation during one game of the Event.

Empire BlueCross BlueShield Courtside LED signage during the Championship Rounds at Madison Square Garden.

TICKETS AND HOSPITALITY- One hundred (100) tickets to each night of the Event to be distributed to local youth charities and groups.- Twenty (20) premium location tickets to each night of the Event.- Twently (20) invitations to each pre-game Hospitality Reception.


- All four games of the Championship Rounds of the 2010 2K Sports Classic benefi ting Coaches vs. Cancer at Madison Square Garden were nationally televised on ESPN2. Also, seven of the eight regional round games were nationally televised on either ESPNU (four games) or ESPN3.com (3 games). The eighth game was aired regionally by Comcast SportsNet in both the Baltimore/Washington markets as well as the Seattle market.

- ESPN’s top broadcast team of Dick Vitale, Bob Knight, and Dan Shulman were assigned to work the Championship Round games from Madison Square Garden. The network annually uses the 2K Sports Classic benefi ting Coaches vs. Cancer as a high-profi le event to tip-off the college basketball season.

- The 2K Sports Classic benefi ting Coaches vs. Cancer was once again the most highly attended season-opening college basketball event in the country. A total of 136,321 fans attended the 2010 tournament across the seven hosting venues.

- The event has averaged 11,517 fans per night in the 13 years at Madison Square Garden. In 2010, the 2K Sports Classic benefi ting Coaches vs. Cancer averaged 11,967 fans over both nights.

- Since 1996, the 2K Sports Classic benefi ting Coaches vs. Cancer and The Gazelle Group have raised nearly $5 million for cancer research and awareness programs.

- The event has featured three national champions - Florida (2006), Syracuse (2003), and Maryland (2002). The Classic has also had four additional NCAA Final Four teams - Memphis (2008), George Mason (2006), Marquette (2003), and Texas (2003). Over the last eight years, 36 teams that participated in the 2K Sports Classic have gone on the compete in the NCAA Tournament.

- In addition to Madison Square Garden, the 2K Sports Classic benefi ting Coaches vs. Cancer has been held at some of the fi nest home courts in the country, including Cal, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Southern Illinois, Syracuse, Texas, Texas Tech, UAB, UCLA, and Wake Forest.

ESPN’s Dan Shulman and Bob Knight broadcasting live from Madison Square Garden.



2010 2K SPORTS CLASSIC BENEFITING COACHES VS. CANCER

Pittsburgh Regional November 10#4 Pittsburgh 97, Illinois-Chicago 54November 8#4 Pittsburgh 83, Rhode Island 75

Austin RegionalNovember 10#25 Texas 89, Louisiana Tech 58November 8#25 Texas 83, Navy 52

College Park Regional November 10Maryland 75, Charleston 74November 8Maryland 105, Seattle 76

Champaign Regional November 10#16 Illinois 79, UC Irvine 63November 8#16 Illinois 84, Toledo 45

November 19Championship Game#4 Pittsburgh 68, #22 Texas 66Consolation Game#16 Illinois 80, Maryland 76

2010 All-Tournament Team Presented by Toyota

Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh) - MVP presented by American AirlinesJordan Williams (Maryland)Demetri McCamey (Illinois)

Jordan Hamilton (Texas)Travon Woodall (Pittsburgh)

November 18Semifinals #4 Pittsburgh 79, Maryland 70#22 Texas 90, #16 Illinois 84 (OT)

Championship Rounds

Toledo SubregionalNovember 21Illinois-Chicago 74, Rhode Island 68Charleston 64, Toledo 51November 20Charleston 78, Illinois-Chicago 66Rhode Island 76, Toledo 65November 19Rhode Island 76, Charleston 66Illinois-Chicago 57, Toledo 51

Irvine SubregionalNovember 21Seattle 75, Navy 70Louisiana Tech 76, UC Irvine 72November 20Louisiana Tech 80, Navy 65UC Irvine 85, Seattle 77November 19Louisiana Tech 85, Seattle 72UC Irvine 75, Navy 60

Tournament MVP Ashton Gibbs dunks over Maryland’s Jordan Williams during Championship Round game action.

Regional Rounds



Syracuse Regional November 11#25 Syracuse 100, Robert Morris 60November 9#25 Syracuse 75, Albany 43

Chapel Hill RegionalNovember 11#4 North Carolina 89, NC Central 42 November 9#4 North Carolina 88, FIU 72

Columbus Regional November 12#17 Ohio State 72, James Madison 44November 9#17 Ohio State 100, Alcorn State 60

Berkeley Regional November 11#12 California 95, Detroit 61November 9#12 California 75, Murray State 70

November 20Championship Game#24 Syracuse 87, #4 North Carolina 71Consolation Game#15 Ohio State 76, #12 California 70

2009 All-Tournament Team Presented by Sports Illustrated

Wes Johnson (Syracuse) - MVP presented by American AirlinesJerome Randle (California)

Evan Turner (Ohio State)Marcus Ginyard (North Carolina)

Andy Rautins (Syracuse)

November 19Semifinals #24 Syracuse 95, #12 California 73 #4 North Carolina 77, #15 Ohio State 73

Championship Rounds Regional Rounds

Albany SubregionalNovember 22Detroit 79, Alcorn State 59Albany 71, Robert Morris 66November 21Robert Morris 107, Alcorn State 76Detroit 66, Albany 54November 20Detroit 71, Robert Morris 59Albany 71, Alcorn State 55

Miami SubregionalNovember 23James Madison 79, NC Central 66Murray State 84, FIU 71November 22James Madison 81, FIU 68Murray State 84, NC Central 61November 20Murray State 71, James Madison 43FIU 83, NC Central 73

Tournament MVP Wes Johnson dunks during Championship Round game action.



Durham Regional November 11#5 Duke 97, Georgia Southern 54Houston 76, Presbyterian 57 November 10#5 Duke 80, Presbyterian 49 Georgia Southern 65, Houston 63

Carbondale RegionalNovember 12Southern Illinois 80, Massachusetts 73 November 11Southern Illinois 66, California (Pa.) 52Massachusetts 90, Arkansas-Monticello 71

Los Angeles Regional November 13#4 UCLA 64, Miami (Ohio) 59Weber State 78, Prairie View A&M 68 November 12#4 UCLA 82, Prairie View A&M 58 Miami (Ohio) 70, Weber State 66

Ann Arbor Regional November 12Michigan 76, Northeastern 56IUPUI 65, Michigan Tech 51 November 11Michigan 77, Michigan Tech 55 Northeastern 73, IUPUI 60

November 21Championship Game#5 Duke 71, Michigan 56Consolation Game#4 UCLA 77, Southern Illinois 60


Kyle Singler (Duke) - MVP presented by American AirlinesKevin Dillard (Southern Illinois)

Darren Collison (UCLA)Manny Harris (Michigan)Gerald Henderson (Duke)

November 20Semifinals#5 Duke 83, Southern Illinois 58 Michigan 55, #4 UCLA 52


Tournament MVP Kyle Singler shoots during Championship Round game action.


2007 2K SPORTS COLLEGE HOOPS CLASSIC BENEFITING COACHES VS. CANCER

Lexington Regional November 7Gardner-Webb 84, #20 Kentucky 68Central Arkansas 69, Alabama A&M 59November 6#20 Kentucky 67, Central Arkansas 40 Gardner-Webb 69, Alabama A&M 55

Memphis RegionalNovember 6#3 Memphis 80, Richmond 63 Tennessee-Martin 66, Maine 62November 5#3 Memphis 102, Tennessee-Martin 71Richmond 44, Maine 42

Norman Regional November 9Oklahoma 80, Denver 50San Francisco 87, East Central Oklahoma 70 November 8Oklahoma 71, San Francisco 55Denver 76, East Central Oklahoma 75

Storrs Regional November 8Connecticut 82, Buffalo 57Morgan State 77, Ohio Valley 66November 7Connecticut 69, Morgan State 65 Buffalo 89, Ohio Valley 82

November 16Championship Game#3 Memphis 81, Connecticut 70Consolation GameOklahoma 69, Gardner-Webb 55


Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis) - MVP presented by American AirlinesA.J. Price (Connecticut)Blake Griffin (Oklahoma)

Grayson Flittner (Gardner-Webb)Derrick Rose (Memphis)

November 15Semifinals#3 Memphis 63, Oklahoma 53 Connecticut 78, Gardner-Webb 66


Tournament MVP Chris Douglas-Roberts drives to the basket against Oklahoma.



Austin Regional November 10St. Bonaventure 68, Alcorn State 59Texas 92, Chicago State 66 November 9Chicago State 98, St. Bonaventure 95 Texas 103, Alcorn State 44

East Lansing RegionalNovember 9Central Michigan 71, Brown 58 Michigan State 86, Youngstown State 61November 8Youngstown State 74, Central Michigan 50Michigan State 45, Brown 34

New York Regional November 11Loyola 65, North Florida 50St. John’s 72, Navy 49 November 10Navy 73, Loyola 61 St. John’s 74, North Florida 53

College Park Regional November 8Hampton 74, New Orleans 73Maryland 81, Vermont 63 November 7Vermont 82, New Orleans 65 Maryland 102, Hampton 75

November 17Championship GameMaryland 62, Michigan State 60Consolation GameTexas 77, St. John’s 76

2006 All-Tournament Team Presented by The Hartford

D.J. Strawberry (Maryland) - MVP presented by The HartfordKevin Durant (Texas)

Drew Neitzel (Michigan State)Avery Patterson (St. John’s)

James Gist (Maryland)

November 16SemifinalsMaryland 92, St. John’s 60 Michigan State 63, #18 Texas 61


Tournament MVP D.J. Strawberry dunks in the Championship Game.



Lubbock Regional November 11Texas Tech 74, Georgia Southern 61San Jose State 82, Portland 53 November 10Texas Tech 88, San Jose State 54 Georgia Southern 89, Portland 75

Winston Salem RegionalNovember 11#18 Wake Forest 83, George Mason 78 (OT) UC Irvine 94, Mississippi Valley St. 40November 10#18 Wake Forest 78, Mississippi Valley St. 64George Mason 79, UC Irvine 56

Gainesville Regional November 10Florida 83, Albany 64Oakland 72, St. Peter’s 69November 9Florida 80, St. Peter’s 51 Albany 90, Oakland 73

Syracuse Regional November 9#16 Syracuse 67, Cornell 62Bethune-Cookman 63, Saint Francis 52 November 8#16 Syracuse 68, Bethune-Cookman 37Cornell 75, Saint Francis 54

November 18Championship GameFlorida 75, #16 Syracuse 70Consolation Game#18 Wake Forest 78, Texas Tech 73

2005 All-Tournament Team Presented by Hanes Beefy-T

Taurean Green (Florida) - MVP presented by Hanes Beefy-TAl Horford (Florida)

Gerry McNamara (Syracuse)Trent Strickland (Wake Forest)Jarrius Jackson (Texas Tech)

November 17SemifinalsFlorida 77, #18 Wake Forest 72 (2OT) #16 Syracuse, Texas Tech 46


Tournament MVP Taurean Green drives to the basket in the Championship Game.


2003 - Coaches vs. Cancer ClassicMadison Square Garden November 13-14, 2003#21 Wake 85, Memphis 76#23 Marquette 52, St. John’s 45#22 Pittsburgh 71, Alabama 62#18 Saint Joseph’s 73, #10 Gonzaga 66

2002 - AT&T Wireless Coaches vs. Cancer ClassicMadison Square GardenNovember 14-15, 2002Memphis 70, Syracuse 63#8 Alabama 68, #3 Oklahoma 62#18 Marquette 73, Villanova 61#4 Texas 77, #16 Georgia 71

2001 - IKON Classic benefiting Coaches vs. CancerMadison Square GardenNovember 8-9, 2001Championship GameArizona 75, #6 Florida 71Consolation Game#2 Maryland 82, #16 Temple 74Semifinals#6 Florida 72, #16 Temple 64Arizona 71, #2 Maryland 67

Players of the GameTaron Downey (Wake Forest)

Travis Diener (Marquette)Carl Krauser (Pittsburgh)

Jameer Nelson (Saint Joseph’s)

Players of the GameJeremy Hunt (Memphis)Mo Williams (Alabama)

Dwyane Wade (Marquette)TJ Ford (Texas)

All-Tournament TeamJason Gardner (Arizona) - MVP

Will Bynum (Arizona)Brett Nelson (Florida)Lynn Greer (Temple)

Juan Dixon (Maryland)

All-Tournament TeamHakim Warrick (Syracuse) - MVP

Gerry McNamara (Syracuse)Rodney Carney (Memphis)

Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State)Daniel Kickert (Saint Mary’s)

2004 - Coaches vs. Cancer ClassicMadison Square GardenNovember 19-18, 2004Championship Game#6 Syracuse 77, #24 Memphis 62Consolation Game#12 Mississippi State 67, Saint Mary’s 54Semifinals#24 Memphis 81, Saint Mary’s 66#6 Syracuse, #12 Mississippi State 58


1999 - Coaches vs. Cancer ClassicMadison Square GardenNovember 11-12, 1999Championship Game#13 Stanford 72, Iowa 58Consolation Game#1 Connecticut 71, #10 Duke 66 Semifinals#13 Stanford 80, #10 Duke 79 (OT)Iowa 70, #1 Connecticut 68

All-Tournament TeamJaron Collins (Stanford) - MVP

Jacob Jaacks (Iowa)Jason Collins (Stanford)

Kevin Freeman (Connecticut)Chris Carawell (Duke)

1998 - Coaches vs. Cancer ClassicMadison Square GardenNovember 10-11, 1998Championship Game#7 Temple 59, Wake Forest 48Consolation GameIllinois 65, Georgetown 50SemifinalsWake Forest 75, Illinois 73 (OT)#7 Temple 65, Georgetown 49

All-Tournament TeamLamont Barnes (Temple) - MVPRobert O’Kelley (Wake Forest)

Corey Bradford (Illinois)Quincy Wadley (Temple)

Anthony Perry (Georgetown)

1997 - Coaches vs. Cancer ClassicContinental Airlines ArenaNovember 11-12, 1997Championship GamePrinceton 38, N.C. State 36Consolation Game#19 Georgia 89, #22 Texas 87SemifinalsN.C. State 47, #19 Georgia 45Princeton 62, #22 Texas 56

All-Tournament TeamBrian Earl (Princeton) - MVP

Luke Axtell (Texas)Kenny Inge (NC State)

Steve Goodrich (Princeton)Ray Harrison (Georgia)

1996 - Atlantic City ShootoutAtlantic City Convention Center December 7, 1996Temple 76, Georgia Tech 58St. Joseph's 67, Tulsa 64

1995 - Atlantic City ShootoutAtlantic City Convention Center December 9, 1995Penn State 88, Penn 61LaSalle 68, Marquette 65

2000 - Coaches vs. Cancer ClassicMadison Square GardenNovember 9-10, 2000Championship Game#7 Kansas 82, St. John's 74Consolation Game#17 UCLA 97, #12 Kentucky 92Semifinals#7 Kansas 99, #17 UCLA 98St. John's 62, #12 Kentucky 61

All-Tournament TeamKenny Gregory (Kansas) - MVP

Omar Cook (St. John’s)Keith Bogans (Kentucky)

Drew Gooden (Kansas)Earl Watson (UCLA)


MALE 25-54 COLLEGE BASKETBALL VIEWERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO PURCHASE AND USE A WIDE VARIETY OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

THAN THE AVERAGE U.S. ADULT.

To be read: Male 25-54 College Basketball viewers are +82% more likely to be decision makers for the purchase or lease of a truck than the average U.S. Adult.

Automotive Truck: net any vehicle DMSUV: net any vehicle DMAny Vehicle: net any vehicle DM

182199186

Automotive Aftermarket

Automotive Do-It-YourselfersGasoline: spent $50+ past monthMotor Oil: bought/changed any past yearTires: bought any past year

136155151156

Beverages Regular Domestic Beer: drank past weekImported Beer: drank past weekRegular Soft Drinks: drank past week

149160145

Computers Personal Computers: bought past yearPC Hardware: bought past yearOnline Internet Service: use daily

150162179

Electronics & Entertainment Electronics Store: shopped past monthPC Software: bought $200+ past yearMovies: Prefer to see in first two weeks of release

151170147

Financial Securities: current market value of investments $50K+Credit Cards: average monthly expenditure $450+

239192

Household Appliances & Furnishings Home Improvement: did work yourself past yearHome Improvement/Hardware/Appliance Store: shopped past monthHousehold Furnishings: big ticket items bought past year

169151

152

Insurance Auto/Vehicle Insurance: DM for company usedLife Insurance: DM for company usedHomeowner’s/Property Insurance: DM for company used

156189177

Men’s Apparel & Sports Apparel

Casual Slacks: bought any past yearJeans: bought any past yearAthletic/Workout Wear: bought any past yearCross-Training Shoes: bought any past year

183156229151

Personal Supplies Razor Blades: used any past 6 monthsShaving Creams/Gels: used any past 6 monthsHeadache Remedies & Pain Relievers: used past 6 monthsPrescription Drugs: any prescription filled past month

162152149

151

Restaurants Fast Food Restaurants: dined 9+ times past monthFamily Restaurants & Steak Houses: dined past month

166166

Travel Hotels: Business, stayed 5+ nights past yearAirline Travel: Business, any round-trip flights past yearCar Rental: Business Use, any rentals past year

192223192

CATEGORY PRODUCT INDEX


MALE 75%FEMALE 25% AGE 21.5% of Men are 18-34 yrs old 36.6% of Men are 18-49 yrs old 32.2% of Men are 25-54 yrs old 47.5% of Adults are 18-49 yrs old

EDUCATION 74% are college graduates or have attended college 13% have a high school diploma 13% have attended some high school

TV VIEWERSHIP 31% watch college basketball less than 2 hours per week 34% watch college basketball 2-5 hours per week 27% watch college basketball more than 5 hours per week

EATING OUT 22% eat out 0-1 times per week 37% eat out 1-3 times per week 24% eat out 3-5 times per week 9% eat out 5-8 times per week 6% eat out more than 8 times per week

CAR OR TRUCK 75% own a car or truckHOME OWNERS 46% own their home

FAMILY 54% do not have any children 35% have 1-3 children


“THE GARDEN”

“It’s known simply as ‘The Garden,’ a perfect appellation for a place where legends grow. To millions, those two words mean just one thing: Madison Square Garden, billed in typical New York hype as

THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS ARENA.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Michael Jordan, or Muhammad Ali, or Sinatra, or the Pope... They know the stage is brighter here than anyplace else!”

“The Garden is more than a building. The history is so rich, and people want to be a part of that history.”

- From “Looking Back at 125 Years of Madison Square Garden” By AP Writer Larry McShane

“Whether sitting in the locker room or waiting in the wings, athletes and artists view the Garden as the pinnacle: the best venue in the biggest city before the brightest audiences.”

On so many nights across it’s 125 year history, the Garden has been THE place to be. Today, Madison Square Garden extends it’s greatness onto busy Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets in Manhattan. The first Garden opened on Fifth Avenue in 1879 and has since changed locations and revolutionized into the 19,763-seat arena at its current location. The Garden is no stranger to college basketball, hosting the very first major postseason tournament, the National Invitational Tournament, in 1938. Well known across the globe, the Garden is more than an arena. Nearly five million fans pass through the Garden’s turnstiles every year, taking in such familiar staples as the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty, concerts, world championship boxing, and of course, college basketball.


USA Today (National)

Newark Star Ledger

Newsday

Dime Magazine (National)

Bounce Magazine (National)

TOTALS

Newspaper/Publication Circulation Readership # of Ads Total Circ. Total Readership1,812,092

223,037

334,809

120,000

40,000

2,529,938

3,300,000

444,074

946,521

780,000

240,000

5,710,595

1

3

1

1

1

7

1,812,092

669,111

334,809

120,000

40,000

2,976,2012

3,300,000

1,332,222

946,521

780,000

240,000

6,598,743

ESPN.com (300 x 250) (NY Metro Area)

ESPN.com (728 x 90) (NY Metro Area)

ESPN.com (expandable) (NY Metro Area)

Comcast.com

NJ.com

WFAN.com

TOTALS

Online Dates Locations Total Impressions11/2 - 11/14

11/2 - 11/14

11/2 - 11/14

11/2 - 11/19

11/1 - 11/19

11/4 - 11/21

Run of Site

Run of Site

Run of Site

Sports Page

Sports Page

Run of Site

367,443

335,961

211,364

136,891

1,050,387

448,798

4,949,396

Total online advertising impressions: 4,949,396

Total print advertising impressions: 6,598,743

ESPN 1050

ESPN 1050 (Live Read)

WFAN 660 AM (NY)

WFAN 660 AM (NY)

1010 WINS

93.7 The Fan (Pittsburgh)

TOTALS

Radio Station Dates Length # of Units Cume. Persons Avg. Audience Gross Impact

11/1 - 11/16

11/1 - 11/16

11/1 - 11/16

11/1 - 11/16

11/15 - 11/18

11/8 - 11/15

60

8

23

15

8

10

124

235,000

235,000

535,200

535,200

535,200

40,900

2,116,500

18,400

18,400

41,900

41,900

41,900

3,200

165,700

Total radio advertising impressions: 3,210,600

:60

:10

:30

:15

:30

:60

1,104,000

147,200

963,700

628,500

335,200

32,000

3,210,600


TOTAL ADVERTISING IMPRESSIONS: 208,299,810

Time Warner Cable(:30 second commercials ran on ESPN, ESPN 2, CNBC, ESPNNews)

Comcast Cable Union North

Comcast Cable Union Central

Comcast Cable Meadowlands

Comcast Cable Jersey City(:30 second commercials ran on ESPN, ESPN 2, TNT, YES)

MSG Network

MSG +

SNY

TOTALS

Television Network Households Dates # of Units Viewers Gross Impact2,399,150

91,286

75,177

28,547

51,657

9,900,000

8,700,000

3,000,000

24,245,817

11/1 - 11/20

10/28 - 11/19

10/28 - 11/19

10/28 - 11/19

10/28 - 11/19

10/31 - 11/17

93

22

22

22

22

214

137

70

602

25,386

8,329

6,859

2,605

4,713

190,000

190,000

15,161

405,735

Total television advertising impressions: 67,468,221

7th Avenue Marquees

8th Avenue Marquees

Box Office Duratrans

7th Avenue Arcade Banner

Bar/Restaurant Posters

TOTALS

Out of Home Dates Impressions/Day Total Impressions

9/15 - 11/19

9/15- 11/19

10/4 - 11/20

10/25 - 11/21

10/25 - 11/21

1,000,000

700,000

13,350

600,000

14,000

2,327,350

Total out of home advertising impressions: 126,072,850

3,331,818

183,238

150,902

57,302

103,691

40,660,000

21,920,000

1,061,270

67,468,221

64,000,000

44,800,000

680,850

16,200,000

392,000

126,072,850


Out of Home Dates Impressions/Day Total Impressions

Ticketmaster Alert2 e-mails to over 1 million

subscribers

Plum Benefits1 discount e-mail sent to over 20,000

corporations in NYC

Dime Magazine1 e-mail to over 48,000 subscribers

New York Knicks2 e-mails to 7,000 plus subscribers

New York Liberty2 e-mails to 5,100 subscribers

New York Rangers2 e-mails to over 6,000 subscribers

Madison Square Garden Sports3 e-mails to over 30,000 subscribers

Radio City Entertainment1 e-mail to over 250,000 subscribers

American Express1 e-mail to over 1 million customers

Gazelle Database3 e-mails to over 8,000 subscribers

Travelzoo.com1 e-mail to over 100,000 subscribers

Maryland “Terrapin Club” and NY-Alumni1 e-mail to 35,000 members

University of Texas “Texas Exes” NY/NJ Alumni

1 e-mail to 2,500 members

University of Illinois Ticket Database2 e-mails to 18,000 ticketholders

OVER 3.6 MILLION IMPRESSIONS


Advertisement displayed in sports bars and restaurants in the New York City area.


Advertisement displayed on the plasma screens and duratrans in the mall area of

Madison Square Garden.



10’ x 15’ banner displayed on 7th Avenue outside the Madison Square Garden and Penn Station main entrances (which also appeared on the front page of Newsday).


Endpage on commercial unit that ran in the New York metropolitan area on ESPN (SportsCenter), MSG Network and MSG Plus.


Date Length Station Airtime (EST) Qty11/08/2010 :60 1050 ESPN 9:19 PM 1

11/09/2010 :60 1050 ESPN 2:49 PM 1

11/11/2010 :60 1050 ESPN 1:17 PM 1

11/13/2010 :60 1050 ESPN 8:40 AM, 2:20 PM 2

11/14/2010 :60 1050 ESPN 9:45 AM 1

11/16/2010 :60 1050 ESPN 3:45 PM, 8:02 PM 2

11/17/2010 :60 1050 ESPN 11:12 AM 1

11/18/2010 :60 1050 ESPN 4:19 PM, 9:19 PM 2

11/19/2010 :60 1050 ESPN 12:11 PM, 7:42 PM 2

Total Radio Spots: 13

Empire BlueCross Blue Shield Radio Commercial Units on 1050 ESPN


UPMC Radio Commercial Units on 1050 ESPN

TELEVISION- The Event was featured in ESPN’s promotional spots used to launch its season-long coverage of college basketball and on ESPN’s early-season tournament preview show.- National, regional, and local sports highlights shows.- Local news network sports coverage.

RADIO- Championship Round coaches participated in interviews on WFAN Radio (Boomer & Carton in morning drive).

NATIONAL TELECONFERENCE- A national teleconference prior to the Championship Rounds featured the head coach of each participating team.

UPMC Radio Commercial Units on 1050 ESPN

ESPN’s Dick Vitale and Dan Shulman live during Semifinal Round action at Madison Square Garden.


7TH AND 8TH AVENUE MARQUEES AND BANNER

Beginning one month prior to the Event, Empire BlueCross BlueShield’s logo appeared on an event banner and on the 7th and 8th Avenue Marquees 3 times per

hour, 18 hours a day, totalling approximately 1,700,000 daily impressions.


SCOREBOARD MENTIONS AND PA ANNOUNCEMENTS

Empire BlueCross BlueShield’s logo appeared on the Gardenvision center hung scoreboard and endboard LED ribbons during PA Announcements and Presentations.


OFFICIAL SOUVENIR PROGRAM

Empire BlueCross BlueShield’s advertisement appeared in the Official Event Program.


Mark Wager, President and CEO of Empire BlueCross BlueShield, presented a recognition award to Ronald McDonald House New York at center court of

Madison Square Garden during the semifinal rounds.

ON-COURT PRESENTATION


SPONSOR RECOGNITION CEREMONY

Sponsor Representatives were recognized for their support of the 2010 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer (L-R):

2K Sports - Mark GoodrichAmerican Airlines - Emil Sokol

Reese’s - Patricia HetrickState Farm - John Althoff

Continuum Health Partners - Dr. Michael GrossbardToyota - Brial Diel

Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield - Patrick O’KeefeAcademy Bus - John Kiely


PRE-GAME HOSPITALITY RECEPTION

The Pre-Game Hospitality Reception was held at Madison Square Garden’s Club Bar and Grill prior to the start of the games each night.


PRE-GAME HOSPITALITY RECEPTION

Empire BlueCross BlueShield’s logo was mentioned on the Sponsor “Thank You” Placard at the entrance to the Club Bar and Grill (left).

Guests were able to mingle, relax and enjoy a fantastic buffet dinner and open bar

before the games each night.


As the nation’s premier early-season college basketball event, the 2K Sports Classic benefi ting Coaches vs. Cancer annually receives an enormous amount of press coverage in the local, regional, and national media. The entire footprint of the event includes the four Regional Round sites, the Championship Rounds in New York, the two Subregional Round sites, and the local news areas in which the 12 participating institutions are located.

In 2010, stories before, during, and after the event were written by the Associated Press and circulated in most large and small newspapers across the nation. The event enjoys a tremendous amount of exposure on the Internet, on both national and sport-specifi c web sites. More specifi cally, the 2K Sports Classic benefi ting Coaches vs. Cancer was featured in articles in, but not limited to, the following media outlets:

- USA Today - New York Post - Baltimore Sun

- SI.com - Newsday - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

- ESPN.com - Newark Star-Ledger - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

- ESPN, The Magazine - Westchester Journal-News - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

- FoxSports.com - ESPNNY.com - Austin American-Statesman

- CBSSports.com - Washington Post - Champaign News-Gazette

- The Sporting News - Chicago Tribune - Providence Journal

- Yahoo.com - Chicago Sun-Times - Toledo Blade

- AOLFanhouse.com - Fort Worth Star-Telegram - SNY.com

- New York Daily News - Houston Chronicle

In all, over 100 reporters and photographers representing more than 65 media out-lets were issued credentials to the Championship Rounds of the 2010 2K Sports Classic benefi ting Coaches vs. Cancer.

The 2K Sports logo appeared on the press backdrop in

the media room at Madison Square Garden.

Coaches vs. Cancer Classic

Pittsburgh, Texas, Maryland & Illinois to Play in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Next Season in New York City Tickets On Sale Tomorrow At 12:00 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 8, 2010

Contact: Ray Cella 609-921-1300 ([email protected])

PRINCETON, N.J. - Pittsburgh, Texas, Maryland, and Illinois will tip-off the 2010 college basketball season in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, which culminates with the Championship Rounds at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Nov. 18-19. Championship Round tickets will go ON SALE TOMORROW (March 9) at 12:00 noon. TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for Championship Round games at Madison Square Garden will be available Tuesday, March 9 beginning at 12:00 PM and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 866-448-7849 or through Ticketmaster.com. The format for the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the nation's premier season-opening college basketball tournament, will remain the same as this past season. Twelve teams from across the nation will compete in the 16th annual event with Pittsburgh, Texas, Maryland, and Illinois hosting regional round games from Nov. 8-12. The four hosts will then advance to the Championship Rounds, Nov. 18-19, at New York's Madison Square Garden, while the remainder of the field will participate in subregionals held at campus sites. Other teams participating in the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic are Charleston, Illinois-Chicago, Louisiana Tech, Navy, Rhode Island, Seattle, Toledo, and UC-Irvine. Toledo and UC-Irvine will host the subregional rounds. Match-ups for the Championship Rounds, as well as the entire bracket for the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, will be announced at a later date. The four schools playing in New York City, each of which was ranked prior to the start of conference play this season, have combined for 10 Final Four appearances and 98 trips to the NCAA Tournament. Each of the four schools has been to the NCAA Tournament a minimum of 21 times. Pittsburgh: Ranked 16th in both polls with a 24-7 record...Pitt is the only team in the Big East to have won at least 20 games overall and 10 league games each of the last nine seasons...the Panthers, who start two juniors, two sophomores, and just one senior, are led by sophomore guard Ashton Gibbs (16.2 ppg) and junior guard Brad Wanamaker (12.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg)...Pitt should mark its ninth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance this season - the longest streak among Big East schools.

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http://www.gazellegroup.com/events/cvc

http://www.ticketmaster.com/


Texas: The Longhorns are 23-8...spent two weeks atop both polls in mid-January...the Longhorns start two juniors, one freshman, and two seniors and sport only three seniors on the 14-man roster...freshmen guards Avery Bradley (11.7 ppg) and J'Covan Brown (9.82 ppg) have combined to hand out 141 assists this season...Texas, which has made 11-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, is just one of five schools to advance to the Sweet 16 five of the last eight years (Connecticut, Duke, Kansas, Pittsburgh). Maryland: The Terps are 23-7 this season, ranked 19th in both polls, and co-champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference...Maryland has won at least 19 games each of the last 14 seasons...10 members of the 13-man roster are either juniors, sophomores, or freshmen...sophomore guard Sean Mosley averages 10.8 ppg and 5.3 rpg...freshman forward Jordan Williams nets 9.3 ppg and averages a team-best 8.3 rpg...won the 2006 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Illinois: Is 18-13 this season sporting a roster with only two seniors, neither of whom starts...junior Demetri McCamey paces the Illini in scoring (14.9 ppg) and assists (6.8 apg), while classmate Mike Davis is hauling down a team-best 8.8 rpg to go with his 10.3 ppg...Illinois' 1,627 wins rank 13th nationally and its .653 winning percentage is tops among Big Ten schools...the Illini have finished among the Big Ten's top five in six of head coach Bruce Weber's seven seasons. In the 2009 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, Wes Johnson emerged as one of the nation's most electrifying players in leading Syracuse to the Classic title. Johnson scored 25 points and Syracuse went on to earn an 87-71 victory over defending national champion North Carolina in the Championship Game. Syracuse used the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic to springboard into the national spotlight and is currently ranked third both polls. The Championship Rounds of the 2009 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic also featured, for the first time, four ranked teams at the time of the games as North Carolina (fourth), California (12th), Ohio State (17th), and Syracuse (25th) each appeared in the ESPN/USA Today poll. In addition, California (Pac-10), Ohio State (Big Ten), and Syracuse (Big East) went on to win their respective conference's regular season championships in 2009-10. Four of the past eight National Champions have participated in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, as well as four additional NCAA Final Four teams. Over the last seven years, 35 teams that participated in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic have gone on to compete in the NCAA Tournament. 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. Since 1995, the event has raised more than $4.5 million for the benefit of Coaches vs. Cancer. The Coaches vs. Cancer 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 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, Legends Classic, and the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.


http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp


http://nabc.cstv.com/

http://www.gazellegroup.com/


The Gazelle Group | 475 Wall Street | Princeton, N.J. 08540 | 609.921.1300 | gazellegroup.com


http://www.cancer.org/coaches

http://www.nabc.org/




Regional Round Matchups for 16th Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Announced Pittsburgh, Texas, Maryland, Illinois to host Regional Round games on Nov. 8 & 10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 8, 2010


PRINCETON, N.J. – Pittsburgh, Texas, Maryland, and Illinois will host Regional Round games of the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the nation's premier season-opening college basketball event. Each institution will host two Regional Round games before heading to New York's Madison Square Garden for the Championship Rounds on Nov. 18-19.

---- REGIONAL ROUNDS ----

Pittsburgh Regional Rounds Petersen Events Center - Pittsburgh, Pa.

Nov. 8 - Rhode Island at Pittsburgh Nov. 10 - Illinois-Chicago at Pittsburgh

Austin Regional Rounds Frank Erwin Center - Austin, Texas

Nov. 8 - Navy at Texas Nov. 10 - Louisiana Tech at Texas

College Park Regional Rounds Comcast Center - College Park, Md.

Nov. 8 - Seattle at Maryland Nov. 10 - Charleston at Maryland

Champaign Regional Rounds Assembly Hall - Champaign, Ill.

Nov. 8 - UC Irvine at Illinois Nov. 10 - Toledo at Illinois

The matchups for the Championship Rounds at Madison Square Garden and the Subregional Rounds at Toledo and UC Irvine will be announced at a later date, as will game times and television details. THE FIELD Pittsburgh - Ended the season ranked 18th (AP) and 20th (ESPN/USA Today) with a 25-9 record...Pitt earned its ninth-straight NCAA Tournament bid - the longest streak among Big East schools - and advanced to the second round...the Panthers return junior guard Ashton Gibbs (15.7 ppg), a Scotch Plains, N.J. (Seton Hall Prep) native and second-team All-Big East honoree, and sophomore guard Travon Woodall (5.0 ppg, 108 assists) of Brooklyn, N.Y. (St. Anthony's (N.J.))...New York area recruits include Top 100 prospects J.J. Moore (Brentwood, N.Y./South Kent

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School (Conn.) and Isiah Epps (Plainfield, N.J./Hargrave Military Academy (Va.))...the Panthers are ranked seventh in Andy Katz's (ESPN) preseason Top 25. Texas - The Longhorns went 24-10, spending two weeks atop both polls in mid-January...Texas advanced to its 12th-straight NCAA Tournament in 2010 and has been to five Sweet 16s over the last nine years...sophomore guard J'Covan Brown (9.6 ppg, 80 assists) and sophomore swingman Jordan Hamilton (10.0 ppg) highlight a young and talented Longhorn squad...Texas' incoming class has been rated as high as eighth in the nation. Maryland - The Terps were 24-9 this past season and co-champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference...ended the season ranked 18th (ESPN/USA Today) and 20th (AP) and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament...the Terps return 10 players, including junior guard Sean Mosley (10.1 ppg and 5.1 rpg) and sophomore forwards Jordan Williams (9.6 ppg and a team-best 8.6 rpg), who was named to the ACC All-Rookie team, and Brooklyn's James Padgett (Lincoln H.S.), who is expected to have a larger role in Maryland's rotation...the Terps' Top 20 recruiting class includes Ashton Pankey of the Bronx (St. Anthony's (N.J.)). Illinois - Went 21-15 in advancing to the quarterfinals of the NIT...has finished among the Big Ten's top five in six of head coach Bruce Weber's seven seasons...first-team All-Big Ten pick Demetri McCamey returns for his senior year after leading the Illini in scoring (15.1 ppg) and placing second in the nation in assists (7.1 apg)...Big Ten Rookie of the Year guard D.J. Richardson netted 10.5 ppg as a freshman last year...the Illini, who welcome a Top 10 recruiting class, are ranked 15th in Andy Katz's (ESPN) preseason Top 25. Charleston - The Cougars went 22-12 and reached the second round of the College Basketball Invitational, marking the third time in four years under head coach Bobby Cremins that they achieved a 20-win season. Illinois-Chicago - The Flames return 12 players from last year's team as head coach Jimmy Collins, the winningest coach in school history, retools UIC. Louisiana Tech - Posted a 24-11 record, its most wins since the 1984-85 season...the Bulldogs also recorded 13 non-conference wins, also the most since 1984-85. Navy - The Midshipmen, who were 13-17 this past season, are one of only two programs in the Patriot League to finish in the top half of the standings each of the last three seasons. Rhode Island - Rhody compiled a 26-10 record in advancing to the semifinals of the 2010 NIT...the Rams have won 52 non-conference games over the last three seasons. Seattle - The Redhawks, who are currently in the process of reclassifying from Division II to Division I, posted a 17-14 record last season while playing a Division I schedule. Toledo - The Rockets will be led by first-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk, who comes to Toledo after eight successful seasons at Wisconsin-Green Bay. UC Irvine - Russell Turner will make his collegiate head coaching debut in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic...Turner was hired after spending six years with the Golden State Warriors. TICKET INFORMATION: Championship Round tickets are currently ON SALE and can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster.com or calling Ticketmaster at 866-448-7849.


http://www.ticketmaster.com/search?tm_link=tm_header_search&q=2k+sports+classic&search.x=0&search.y=0


Last year's Coaches vs. Cancer Classic drew in excess of 141,000 fans across the seven hosting venues with Syracuse defeating defending national champion North Carolina to claim the title. This year marks the 13th consecutive season that the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic has been played at Madison Square Garden. The Coaches vs. Cancer program, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), exists to leverage the strength, community leadership, and celebrity status of the nation's basketball coaches in an effort to raise awareness and reduce cancer risk through education programs while raising funds for the American Cancer Society's vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Since 1995, the event has raised more than $4.5 million for the benefit of Coaches vs. Cancer. The Coaches vs. Cancer 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 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, the Legends Classic, and the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). For more information on The Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com. Visit coachesvscancer.com for more information on the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.






http://www.gazellegroup.com/events/cvc/index_main.htm

http://www.cancer.org/coaches





2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer Bracket Completed ESPN Family of Networks to Televise Eight Tournament Games


August 5, 2010


www.coachesvscancerclassic.com

PRINCETON, N.J. – The schedule and national television coverage for the 16th annual 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer men's college basketball tournament have been completed. Pittsburgh, Texas, Maryland, and Illinois will serve as the four Regional Round hosts for the event, matchups for which were previously announced. The tournament will begin with Regional Round action, November 8-10, with the four host schools advancing to the Championship Rounds at New York’s Madison Square Garden on November 18-19. In the Championship Rounds' first semifinal game on Thursday, November 18, Pittsburgh will face Maryland at 7:00 PM EST, followed by the Illinois-Texas game. The winners will meet in the championship game on Friday, November 19, which will be preceded by the consolation game at 5:00 PM EST. The Irvine and Toledo subregional rounds will be held from November 19-21. UC Irvine will host Louisiana Tech, Navy, and Seattle, while Toledo will entertain Charleston, Illinois-Chicago, and Rhode Island. Each team will play three games in the subregional rounds. A total of eight games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks. ESPNU will televise both games of the Austin Regional Rounds when Texas hosts Navy (Nov. 8) and Louisiana Tech (Nov. 10). ESPNU will also air the first Pittsburgh Regional Round game featuring Pitt and Rhode Island on November 8, as well as the second College Park Regional Round game on November 10 between Maryland and Charleston. ESPN2 will televise all four games of the Championship Rounds in New York, November 18-19. Additional television coverage will be announced at a later date. Outlined below are the dates, times, locations, match-ups, and current television coverage for the tournament. Click HERE for the complete tournament bracket.

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http://www.gazellegroup.com/events/cvc/cvc10_bracket.pdf


---- CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS ----

Semifinal Doubleheader Madison Square Garden - New York, N.Y.

Thursday, November 18 - 7:00 PM EST Pittsburgh vs. Maryland (ESPN2)

Illinois vs. Texas (ESPN2)

Championship Doubleheader Madison Square Garden - New York, N.Y. Friday, November 19 - 5:00 PM EST

Consolation Game (ESPN2) Championship Game (ESPN2)

---- REGIONAL ROUNDS ----

Pittsburgh Regional Rounds Petersen Events Center - Pittsburgh, Pa. Monday, November 8 - 7:00 PM EST

Rhode Island vs. Pittsburgh (ESPNU) Wednesday, November 10 - TBA

Illinois-Chicago vs. Pittsburgh

Austin Regional Rounds Frank Erwin Center - Austin, Texas

Monday, November 8 - 9:00 PM EST Navy vs. Texas (ESPNU)

Wednesday, November 10 - 9:00 PM EST Louisiana Tech vs. Texas (ESPNU)

College Park Regional Rounds Comcast Center - College Park, Md.

Monday, November 8 - TBA Seattle vs. Maryland

Wednesday, November 10 - 7:00 PM EST Charleston vs. Maryland (ESPNU)

Champaign Regional Rounds Assembly Hall - Champaign, Ill. Monday, November 8 - TBA

UC Irvine vs. Illinois Wednesday, November 10 - TBA

Toledo vs. Illinois

---- SUBREGIONAL ROUNDS ----

Toledo Subregional Rounds John F. Savage Arena - Toledo, Ohio

Friday, November 19 - 4:30 PM EST Rhode Island vs. Charleston Illinois-Chicago vs. Toledo

Saturday, November 20 - 4:30 PM EST Charleston vs. Illinois-Chicago

Rhode Island vs. Toledo Sunday, November 21 - 2:30 PM EST

Illinois-Chicago vs. Rhode Island Charleston vs. Toledo

Irvine Subregional Rounds Bren Events Center - Irvine, Calif.

Friday, November 19 - 8:00 PM EST Seattle vs. Louisiana Tech

Navy vs. UC Irvine Saturday, November 20 - 8:00 PM EST

Lousiana Tech vs. Navy Seattle vs. UC Irvine

Sunday, November 21 - 6:00 PM EST Navy vs. Seattle

Louisiana Tech vs. UC Irvine

TICKET INFORMATION: Championship Round tickets are now ON SALE and can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster.com or calling Ticketmaster at 866-448-7849. THE FIELD Pittsburgh - Pitt ended the season ranked 18th (AP) and 20th (ESPN/USA Today) with a 25-9


http://www.ticketmaster.com/search?tm_link=tm_header_search&q=2k+sports+classic&search.x=0&search.y=0

http://www.ticketmaster.com/


record...Pitt earned its ninth-straight NCAA Tournament bid - the longest streak among Big East schools - and advanced to the second round...the Panthers return junior guard Ashton Gibbs (15.7 ppg), a Scotch Plains, N.J., (Seton Hall Prep) native and second-team All-Big East honoree, and sophomore guard Travon Woodall (5.0 ppg, 108 assists) of Brooklyn, N.Y. (St. Anthony's (N.J.))...New York area recruits include Top 100 prospects J.J. Moore (Brentwood, N.Y./South Kent School (Conn.) and Isiah Epps (Plainfield, N.J./Hargrave Military Academy (Va.))...the Panthers are ranked 7th in Andy Katz's (ESPN) preseason Top 25 and 12th in Dick Vitale's (ESPN) preseason Top 40. Texas - The Longhorns went 24-10, spending two weeks atop both polls in mid-January...Texas advanced to its 12th-straight NCAA Tournament in 2010 and has been to five Sweet 16s over the last nine years...sophomore guard J'Covan Brown (9.6 ppg, 80 assists) and sophomore swingman Jordan Hamilton (10.0 ppg) highlight a young and talented Longhorn squad...Texas' incoming class has been rated as high as eighth in the nation...ranked 17th in Dick Vitale's (ESPN) preseason Top 40. Maryland - The Terps were 24-9 this past season and co-champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference...ended the season ranked 18th (ESPN/USA Today) and 20th (AP) and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament...the Terps return 10 players, including junior guard Sean Mosley (10.1 ppg and 5.1 rpg) and sophomore forwards Jordan Williams (9.6 ppg and a team-best 8.6 rpg), who was named to the ACC All-Rookie team, and Brooklyn's James Padgett (Lincoln H.S.), who is expected to have a larger role in Maryland's rotation...the Terps' Top 20 recruiting class includes Ashton Pankey of the Bronx (St. Anthony's (N.J.))...ranked 38th in Dick Vitale's (ESPN) preseason Top 40. Illinois - The Illini went 21-15 in advancing to the quarterfinals of the NIT...has finished among the Big Ten's top five in six of head coach Bruce Weber's seven seasons...first-team All-Big Ten pick Demetri McCamey returns for his senior year after leading the Illini in scoring (15.1 ppg) and placing second in the nation in assists (7.1 apg)...Big Ten Rookie of the Year guard D.J. Richardson netted 10.5 ppg as a freshman last year...the Illini, who welcome a Top 10 recruiting class, are ranked 15th in Andy Katz's (ESPN) preseason Top 25 and 18th in Dick Vitale's (ESPN) preseason Top 40. Charleston - The Cougars went 22-12 and reached the second round of the College Basketball Invitational, marking the third time in four years under head coach Bobby Cremins that they achieved a 20-win season. Illinois-Chicago - The Flames, who return 12 players from last year's team, will be under the direction of a new head coach as Jimmy Collins, the winningest coach in school history, will leave at the end of August. Louisiana Tech - Louisiana Tech posted a 24-11 record, its most wins since the 1984-85 season...the Bulldogs recorded 13 non-conference wins, also the most since 1984-85. Navy - The Midshipmen, who were 13-17 this past season, are one of only two programs in the Patriot League to finish in the top half of the standings each of the last three seasons. Rhode Island - Rhody compiled a 26-10 record in advancing to the semifinals of the 2010 NIT...the Rams have won 52 non-conference games over the last three seasons. Seattle - The Redhawks, who are currently in the process of reclassifying from Division II to Division I, posted a 17-14 record last season while playing a Division I schedule.



Toledo - The Rockets will be led by first-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk, who comes to Toledo after eight successful seasons at Green Bay. UC Irvine - Russell Turner will make his collegiate head coaching debut in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer...Turner was hired after spending six years with the Golden State Warriors. Last year's 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer drew in excess of 141,000 fans across the seven hosting venues with Syracuse defeating defending national champion North Carolina to claim the title. This year marks the 13th consecutive season that the Classic has been played at Madison Square Garden. The Coaches vs. Cancer program, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), exists to leverage the strength, community leadership, and celebrity status of the nation's basketball coaches in an effort to raise awareness and reduce cancer risk through education programs while raising funds for the American Cancer Society's vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Since 1995, the event has raised more than $4.5 million for the benefit of Coaches vs. Cancer. The 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer 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 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, the Legends Classic, and the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). For more information on The Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.






http://www.2ksports.com/

http://main.acsevents.org/site/PageServer?pagename=CVC_FY09_findanevent




2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer

2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer Tips-Off the College Basketball Season


November 8, 2008

Contact: Ray Cella 609-921-1300

PRINCETON, N.J. – The 16th annual 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer officially tips-off the 2010-11 college basketball season this evening. The season begins at 7:00pm (ET) when No. 4 Pittsburgh hosts Rhode Island on ESPNU. At 8:00pm (ET), No. 16 Illinois hosts UC Irvine on ESPN3.com while Maryland entertains Seattle on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic and Comcast SportsNet Northwest. At 9:00pm (ET), No. 25 Texas meets Navy on ESPNU. All four Regional Round hosts will also play on Wednesday. Pitt hosts Illinois-Chicago, Charleston is at Maryland (ESPNU), Illinois hosts Toledo (ESPN3.com), and Texas is home to Louisiana Tech (ESPNU). Pitt, Texas, Maryland, and Illinois will then tarvel to New York City and square off in the Championship Rounds of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. Semifinal games will take place on Thursday Nov. 18 with the consolation and championship games being played on Nov. 19. All four contests will air on ESPN2. Last year's 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer drew in excess of 141,000 fans across the seven hosting venues with Syracuse defeating defending national champion North Carolina to claim the title. This year marks the 13th consecutive season that the Classic has been played at Madison Square Garden. 2K Sports, known for delivering the most innovative and realistic sports simulation experience available, is the title sponsor of the event for the sixth 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 benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer 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 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, the Legends Classic, and the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). For more information on The Gazelle Group, please visit www.gazellegroup.com. The Coaches vs. Cancer program, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), exists to leverage the strength, community

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leadership, and celebrity status of the nation's basketball coaches in an effort to raise awareness and reduce cancer risk through education programs while raising funds for the American Cancer Society's vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Since 1995, the event has raised more than $4.5 million for the benefit of Coaches vs. Cancer.


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http://www.aa.com/

http://www.wehealny.org/services/cancer/index.html

http://www.buyatoyota.com/NationalLanding.aspx?3fzip_code=






2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer Comes to New York Three ranked teams featured at Madison Square Garden FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 15, 2010


www.coachesvscancer.com

PRINCETON, N.J. - The Championship Rounds of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer begin on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. In the first semifinal matchup, Pittsburgh meets Maryland at 7:00pm, followed by Illinois-Texas at 9:00pm. On Friday, the consolation game will commence at 5:00pm with the title match at 7:00pm. All four games of the Championship Rounds will be televised on ESPN2. Three of the four Championship Round participants are ranked in the 2010-11 ESPN/USA Today preseason coaches' poll. Pittsburgh is ranked fourth, Illinois is 16th, Texas is 25th. Pittsburgh is ranked fifth and Illinois 13th in the Associated Press preseason poll. Here is how they got to New York... PITTSBURGH REGIONAL ROUNDS In the season opener, No. 4 Pitt saw Brad Wanamaker match his career high with 24 points and hand out eight assists as the Panthers held off a game Rhode Island team, 83-75. Ashton Gibbs netted 22 points and Talib Zanna added nine points and 11 rebounds. Delroy James led URI with 20 points while Akeem Richmond added 16 points and Daniel West dished out 10 assists. James and Richmond combined to go 9-19 from three as the Rams shot 14-31 as a team from behind the arc. Two nights later, Pitt earned a 97-54 win over Illinois-Chicago. Gibbs led all scorers with 24 points. He also handed out seven assists. Wanamaker registered 17 points, six rebounds, and nine assists while Gilbert Brown added 12 points and six rebounds. K.C. Robbins led UIC with 12 points. AUSTIN REGIONAL ROUNDS Jordan Hamilton posted 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 25 Texas to an 83-52 win over Navy in the season opener for both teams. Gary Johnson had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Tristan Thompson added 12 points and seven rebounds. Navy was paced by Mark Veazey and his

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14 points and eight rebounds. Texas then took an 89-58 decision from Louisiana Tech. Hamilton again led all scorers with 19 points for the Longhorns, who also received 17 points from Thompson and 15 points from Johnson. Tech was paced by Brandon Gibson's 16 points and Olu Ashaolu's 13 points and 11 rebounds. COLLEGE PARK REGIONAL ROUNDS Maryland set a Classic scoring record en route to a 105-76 victory over Seattle. The 105 points topped the previous mark of 104 set by Syracuse against Northern Colorado on Nov. 11, 2004. Sean Mosley netted 21 points, Jordan Williams accounted for 17 points and 15 rebounds, Cliff Tucker totaled 16 points and seven rebounds, and Terrell Stoglin had 15 points and five assists for the Terrapins. Seattle was led by Cervante Burrell and his 13 points. The Terps then survived a scare when Pe'Shon Howard's pull up jumper with 4.6 seconds left gave Maryland a 75-74 win over Charleston. Howard ended the game with 14 points while Williams posted 26 points and 15 rebounds. Charleston's Andrew Goudelock led all scorers with 27 points to go with 10 rebounds. Antwaine Wiggins registered five points, eight rebounds, and five blocked shots for the Cougars. CHAMPAIGN REGIONAL ROUNDS No. 16 Illinois got 18 points from Brandon Paul and 13 points and eight assists from Demetri McCamey in a season-opening 79-63 win over UC Irvine. Mike Tisdale added 12 points and eight rebounds and Mike Davis had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Illini. Darren Moore led the Anteaters with 18 points while Eric Wise posted 11 points and 12 rebounds. Illinois again placed four players in double figures en route to an 84-45 win over Toledo. McCamey led the Illini with 13 points and seven rebounds, Davis had 12 points, Tisdale put up 10 points and eight rebounds, and Meyers Leonard added 10 points. Toledo got 11 points from Delino Dear and 10 points from Malcolm Griffin. The remaining eight teams of the 12-team field will participate in Subregional action at two sites. Toledo will host Charleston, Illinois-Chicago, and Rhode Island with each team playing three games at Savage Arena from Nov. 19-21. Louisiana Tech, Navy, and Seattle will travel to UC Irvine where the Anteaters will serve as host for three days of doubleheaders at the Bren Events Center from Nov. 19-21. Last year's 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer drew in excess of 141,000 fans across the seven hosting venues with Syracuse defeating defending national champion North Carolina to claim the title. This year marks the 13th consecutive season that the Classic has been played at Madison Square Garden. 2K Sports, known for delivering the most innovative and realistic sports simulation experience available, is the title sponsor of the event for the sixth 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 benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer 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 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, the Legends Classic, and the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). For more information on The Gazelle Group, please




visit www.gazellegroup.com. The Coaches vs. Cancer program, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), exists to leverage the strength, community leadership, and celebrity status of the nation's basketball coaches in an effort to raise awareness and reduce cancer risk through education programs while raising funds for the American Cancer Society's vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Since 1995, the event has raised more than $4.5 million for the benefit of Coaches vs. Cancer.







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Posted: Saturday November 20, 2010 12:13AM ; Updated: Monday November 22, 2010 1:15PM

Seth Davis>INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL

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NEW YORK -- "There's a reason nobody likes to play these games," Jamie Dixon was saying. "It's too hard to be at your best this early in the year."

It wasn't exactly a throaty victory cry, but that's November basketball for you. Dixon, Pittsburgh's eighth-year coach, was standing in a hallway inside Madison Square Garden Friday night shortly after his fifth-ranked Panthers beat unranked Texas 68-66 to win the championship of the 2K Sports Classic. Pitt had earned a spot in the title game by toughing out a 79-70 win the night before over Maryland, which went on to lose 80-76 to No. 13 Illinois (the other semifinal loser Thursday) in Friday's consolation game.

Why would these teams subject themselves to back-to-back slugfests so early in the season, even though they know they are not at their best? The exposure helps, of course, but the real reason is because the only way for a coach to really learn about his team is to schedule games against quality competition. The action at the Garden wasn't much to look at, but each of the quartet discovered some important things about themselves, both good and bad. Here, then, is a Hoop Thinker's primer on what they learned:

Pittsburgh

The Good: If you're a fan of quality guard play, this is the team for you. Coming into this week's games, the Panthers were getting more than 80 percent of their scoring from their perimeter players. Against Texas, 48 of their 68 points came from the guards, including 24 from 6-foot-2 junior Ashton Gibbs, the tourney's MVP. Though they can get a little sloppy with the ball (16 turnovers vs. Maryland), Pitt's guards can all handle, pass and shoot. And since they're mostly upperclassmen, they showed they can keep their poise down the stretch. Their 7-for-14 shooting from three-point range was decisive in the final against the Longhorns.

After that win, Dixon expressed surprise that the Longhorns were able to out-rebound his team. They did -- by two. Travesty! Pitt showed this week that it can be a physically overpowering team. Against Maryland, they owned the boards, 49-28. Opponents might be able to match Pitt's toughness, but it's doubtful they'll ever exceed it.

The Bad: You're not going to win a lot of games going 13-for-24 from the foul line, as Pitt did against Texas. That's below the rate they had been shooting coming into the game, but you have to wonder if that's a problem that could rear its head at the worst possible moment.

Another area of concern for Pitt is the flip side of its strong perimeter. Big men Gary McGhee, Talib Zanna and Dante Taylor are excellent rebounders and post defenders, but they are not much of a threat to score. One of the coaches who scouted Pitt told me that running teams should be able to exploit the big guys' inability to change ends quickly. Though the Panthers beat down both of their opponents, they were unable to put either one away until the very end. Yes, Pitt can grind out a game as well as any team in the country, but at some point it would help to go on the occasional 12-2 run.

One last point about Pitt. When I asked an assistant coach who had scouted them to cite an area of weakness, he replied, "Predictability on defense." Dixon has done an excellent job creating a culture of consistency. Theoretically, that should make the Panthers easier to beat, but exploiting their weaknesses is a lot easier scouted than done.

Good, bad discoveries from 2K Sports Classic quartet

Story Highlights No. 5 Pittsburgh won the 2K Sports Classic on the strength of its guard play Texas' young team got its much-needed jolt of confidence in New York Illinois can drain threes, but it is getting beat on the boards and at the line

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Texas

The Good: Rick Barnes told me after the loss to Pitt that he knew three weeks ago that his team was better than people realized. "We scrimmaged Davidson and Gonzaga, and I could see we had a chance to be real good," he said. Still, this team features two freshmen and two sophomores among its top eight players. The Longhorns badly needed a jolt of confidence, and it's clear that they got it in New York.

This tournament was an important learning experience for freshman point guard Cory Joseph, who struggled against Pitt (three turnovers and two points on 1-of-4 shooting) and took an ill-advised shot on the Longhorns' final possession when they had a chance to send the game into overtime. More important, Texas got affirmation that sophomore forward Jordan Hamilton is a much-improved player following a rocky freshman season. Hamilton had major problems with his shot selection last year (that's why he only shot 41 percent from the field), but his decision-making is a lot better now. He is also a more complete player. In the two games this week, Hamilton had 53 points (7-of-12 from three-point range), 15 rebounds and four assists. Pitt may have won the title, but Hamilton was clearly the best player on the floor Friday night.

The Bad: It's one thing to be young. It's quite another when your youngest players are the ones you depend on the most. That's the case with Hamilton, Joseph and 6-8 freshman Tristan Thompson, who was brilliant against Illinois in the semifinal. The Longhorns' immaturity showed in the first half of Friday night's championship game, when the team showed a palpable lack of energy. They may have thought they were ready to play, but they weren't, and it was just enough to prevent them from pulling off the upset.

The other main issue with Texas is that its best offensive player is also one of its worst defenders. Hamilton is so lacking in this department that Barnes substituted for him on key defensive possessions late in the second half against Pitt. "It motivates him," Barnes said. "He knows he has to get better at it. He also knows teams are going to go at him, if nothing else so they can get him into foul trouble." Hamilton better get better at it fast, because if Texas is going to reach its potential, it will need him on the floor as much as possible.

Illinois

The Good: This is a pretty offensive team to watch. The ball moves. The shots go in. It's a little reminiscent of the Illini squad that reached the 2005 NCAA championship game. In the two games against Texas and Maryland, the Illini shot 20-for-48 from the three-point line. Best of all, the makes can come from everywhere. Seven players sank three-pointers in New York. That's hard to guard.

"They're unselfish," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "When you make a mistake defensively, whoever you made that mistake on, that's where the ball is going to end up."

Also, if there was any doubt that senior point guard Demetri McCamey is poised to have a big year, it was erased in New York. After the game Friday night, Williams made an excellent point about McCamey, remarking that he looks a lot slower than he is, and as a result it catches defenders off-guard. McCamey scored 20 and 22 points, respectively, against Texas and Maryland, and had a total of 13 assists and five turnovers. He is clearly on the short list of front-runners for Big Ten Player of the Year.

The Bad: Pretty teams often have trouble winning ugly. Illinois is more committed to toughness this season, but I didn't see much evidence that its collective collar is turning blue. The three stats to watch this season for Illinois will be field goal defense, rebound margin and free throw attempts. Well, Texas took 16 more free throws and out-rebounded the Illini by four. Maryland out-rebounded them by 11, and while the Illini shot five more free throws Friday night, many of those attempts occurred in the last five minutes as the Terrapins were trying to come back. And both opponents shot better than 43 percent. Problems all.

If this part of Illinois' game is going to improve, it's going to have to come from their senior big men, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale. Davis grabbed 12 rebounds against Texas, but he was way too quiet against Maryland, especially considering the Terrapins' best big man, Jordan Williams, was in foul trouble. And Tisdale is simply allergic to the paint. He played 38 minutes in the two games and did not attempt a free throw. That's not how you get Capone.

Maryland

The Good: Here's a shock: A Gary Williams-coached team is scrappy and tough. With 6:22 to play in the second half against Pittsburgh, the Terps trailed by 10. Against Illinois, they were down 12 with 5:35 to play. In each case they could have folded, yet they hung in, cutting Pitt's lead to four with two minutes to play and clawing to within two of the Illini with 14 seconds left.

Maryland also learned that it has a true budding star in Williams. Though he picked up two fouls early in the first half both nights, Williams still put up 14 points and eight rebounds against Pitt and had 15 and 13 against Illinois. That's impressive considering both opponents had lots of big men to throw Williams' way.

The Bad: Maryland doesn't play offense. They play Oy-fense. The Terps were 2-for-14 from three-point range against Pitt, and they were 5-for-18 against Texas. Against Pitt they were truly atrocious from the foul line, making just two of their 14 attempts, including 0-for-7 in the first half. If the Terps are going to beat good teams, at some point they're going to have to put the biscuit in the basket.

Poor shooting is only a part of the problem. The greater issues come from shot selection and playmaking. That all stems from the Terps' primary deficiency, which is point guard play. One of the real disappointments from the two games in New York is how little production Maryland got out of freshman Pe'Shon Howard, the hero of its last-gasp win over College of Charleston. Howard had four points against Pitt and zero against Illinois on 0-for-5 shooting. Guess he's no savior. Meanwhile, against the Illini the Terps' trio of starting guards



Copyright © 2007 CNN/Sports Illustrated.

committed eight turnovers to just 11 assists. And Steve Blake is not going to walk through that door.

Finally, as one assistant coach who scouted Maryland pointed out, if Williams is on the bench, the Terps have no Plan B up front. Better stay out of foul trouble, big fella. Find this article at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/seth_davis/11/19/pittsburgh.texas.illinois.maryland.2k.sports.classic

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Dixon, Pittsburgh get it done

By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports 10 hours, 31 minutes ago

NEW YORK – The fifth-best team in college basketball doesn’t feature any future NBA lottery picks. There is only one McDonald’s All-American on Pittsburgh’s roster, and that’s just fine with Jamie Dixon.

“When you have high-character kids,” the Panthers coach likes to say, “you can do a lot of great things.”

One of those great things occurred Friday night, when Pittsburgh improved to 5-0 with a 68-66 victory over a bigger, faster, more athletic Texas squad in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Ashton Gibbs earned tournament MVP honors with a 24-point effort, but the biggest star for Pittsburgh had slicked-back hair and wore a suit as he stalked the sideline.

“Coach Dixon,” guard Brad Wanamaker said after the game, “is the face of our program.”

There may not be a more underrated coach in America than Dixon, whose accomplishments in seven-plus years at Pittsburgh have been nothing short of remarkable.

Dixon has never coached a first-round NBA draft pick, but year after year, his teams contend for the Big East title. Night after night, the Panthers share the ball and take good shots and defend like their season is on the line.

Still, each time Pittsburgh defeats teams stocked with bigger, faster, more athletic players who are months away from becoming future millionaires, Dixon hears the same comment.

The Panthers, people like to say, win ugly. Dixon smiled when the refrain surfaced again.

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“I guess that’s better than losing pretty,” he said, and in some ways it was hard to tell if Dixon was amused or annoyed.

“Offensively, we’re one of the most efficient teams in the country year in and year out,” he said. “We outrebound people. We don’t turn it over. To me, those are pretty good stats. I don’t know what adjective you want to use.

“All I know is that we have good kids that play hard and believe in each other. That’s what helps you win.”

Dixon’s philosophy couldn’t have rung any truer in the Garden, when Texas did everything it could to overtake Pittsburgh’s 10-point second-half lead. Three times during the final six minutes, the Longhorns pulled within a possession of Pittsburgh – only to see Dixon’s squad answer with a clutch shot on the other end.

Two sequences near the end of the game illustrated the difference between the two teams.

With his team trailing 63-62, Texas guard Jordan Hamilton rushed an ill-advised 3-pointer – a defender’s hand was in his face – that clanged off the back of the rim.

Pittsburgh snared the rebound, went up the court and patiently worked the ball around the perimeter. Eventually, Gibbs freed up for a wide open shot beyond the arc that give the Panthers a 66-62 cushion with 1:24 remaining.

Down 68-66 with 11 seconds left, Texas still had a chance when Pittsburgh’s Travon Woodall missed the front end of a one-and-one. But instead of running a play, Longhorns guard Cory Joseph raced up the court, lowered his head and drove into traffic. Pittsburgh’s defense swarmed Joseph, who tossed the ball up wildly.

“We do some things that young teams do in terms of not listening all the time,” said Texas coach Rick Barnes, who went on to praise the Panthers for “knowing their roles.”

“How many of these guys have been with them for four years?” Barnes said. “Most teams that have superstar guys … they don’t stick around four years. Jamie does a really nice job.”



Indeed, with three senior starters, the Panthers have one of the more experienced teams in the country. But even younger players such as freshman Talib Zanna and sophomore Dante Taylor haven’t had a tough time accepting Dixon’s insistence on sharing the ball and playing tough defense.

“Once you get to college, you adjust,” Wanamaker said. “Everyone’s roles change, no matter who you are.”

Or what you may have done in high school.

“To be a No. [5] team … sometimes you have to alter your ego,” Gibbs said. “That’s something you learn as a freshman. It’s hard, but you’ve got to learn it quickly or you won’t play.”

Dixon said the key to building team chemistry begins long before players arrive on campus. Recruiting, he said, is about more than identifying great talent. It’s about finding great people who are unselfish enough to buy into a system.

“It’s not hard with the guys we have here now,” Dixon said. “We’ve got guys from winning programs who have won all their lives. And they’re used to winning. They’re proud to be at the University of Pittsburgh and playing for the name on front of their jersey. That’s important.”

Successful as he’s been, the one thing that often keeps Dixon from being mentioned among college basketball’s elite coaches is his failure to get Pittsburgh to the Final Four. Granted, this is only Dixon’s eighth season as the Panthers’ coach, so any criticism he receives for not advancing that far is unfair.

Pittsburgh, though, has won 20 or more games – and at least 10 conference games – each season under Dixon. As good as his teams have been, this one may be his best.

“Where we are now is not where we’re going to be next week or next month,” Dixon said. “But I think our guys want to learn and want to get better and are willing to pay the price.”

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Campus Rivalry

Top 25: TCU jumps Boise State for No. 3 spot; Oregon still No. 1

Oregon stays No. 1 in BCS; TCU solidifies third spot ahead of Boise State

Nov 07, 2010

College hoops season ready to tip off with 2K Sports Classic 06:08 PM

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The college football regular season still has about four weeks to go, but college basketball will tip off Monday with four games in the 2K Sports Classic

Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. Three of the contests involve ranked teams.

No. 4 Pittsburgh, the favorite in the Big East, opens at home against Rhode Island. No. 16 Illinois, which is trying to get back to the NCAA tournament after

missing out last year, plays at home against UC-Irvine. No. 25 Texas opens in Austin against Navy, and Maryland plays host to Seattle.

The four host schools also play home games in the event Wednesday and, regardless of how those four do either night,

they are guaranteed to advance to the semifinals Nov. 18 in New York. Pitt will play Maryland, and Illinois takes on

Texas.

The Panthers return four starters and seven of their top eight scorers from a 2009-10 team that finished 25-9 and

advanced to its ninth consecutive NCAA tournament before falling to Xavier in the second round.

Texas was No. 1 for a time in the regular season last year, but stumbled down the stretch and was eliminated in the

first round of the tournament by Wake Forest.

Maryland went out in the second round to Michigan State, which went on to the Final Four. The Illini went to the NIT.

The rest of the Division I men's — and women's — teams begin their seasons Friday.

-- Jack Carey

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chicagotribune.com Paul paces Illini victory

Sophomore guard hits 6 3-pointers in season opener

By Chris Hine, Tribune reporter

10:14 PM CST, November 8, 2010

CHAMPAIGN — If only every game were a season opener for Brandon Paul. Last season, Paul poured in 22 points in his Illinois debut, and Monday night, Paul started his sophomore campaign with a flourish in the 13th-ranked Illini's 79-65 victory over UC Irvine in the opening round of the 2K Sports Classic. "It felt like deja vu for me," Paul said. Paul finished with 18 points, and his productive night began shortly after he checked into the game and hit three consecutive 3-pointers to put the Illini ahead 17-5. Then he smartly passed up a chance for No. 4 and penetrated and found an open Tyler Griffey for two points. "I think (that play) right there showed some strides and maturity that he's made," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. Later in the first half, Paul added two more 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 32-8. And after the Illini defense allowed UC Irvine to creep back into the game in the second half, Paul buried another from beyond the arc to settle everyone down and push the lead back to 20. Now the only question for Paul is, can he keep it up? "This year the main thing for me is just to stay consistent," Paul said. "I don't want to have a few big games and then slack off the next few games." Last season, Paul had his share of struggles, especially once Big Ten play began, and he shot just 28 percent from 3-point range. The only regret for Weber was that Paul didn't take the ball to the basket more. Probably the most encouraging sign for Paul on Monday night wasn't his scoring prowess. He handled point guard duties at times, and didn't have any turnovers. Then on the defensive end, he had a block and two steals, plus he had some key deflections and helped alter other shots.

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"He always seems to be in the right spot," Weber said. The same couldn't be said for the rest of the Illini defense after a strong first half. UC Irvine forced Illinois back on its heels in the second half, and outscored the Illini 47-37. Overall, it was an improvement over the Illini's two exhibition games, but still not where they want to be. "We feel good, but at the same time it's something that we expect," guard Demetri McCamey said. "So we're not going to go out and tear down Green Street." [email protected]

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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Terps, Horns show early-season promise

Maryland coach Gary Williams had an idea that Pe'Shon Howard would be a major contributor for the Terps this season.

But he wasn't sure how much moxie he had in his game.

A week into the season, Howard is proving to be the player who isn't afraid to do just about anything on the court. He made not one but two game-changing shots -- including the winner -- in a 75-74 win over the College of Charleston last week.

Maryland enters Thursday's game against Pitt in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer with a new reason for hope. Sure, the Terps have a size and production advantage in the post with sophomore forward Jordan Williams (21 points and 13.7 rebounds in three games). And veteran guards Cliff Tucker (15.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Adrian Bowie have been solid. But the Terps had to find someone to replace Greivis Vasquez's attitude.

"He came in very confident," Williams said. "Unless you're [Kevin] Durant, you're a little cautious. But he has veteran players around. [Howard] came in believing in himself. I wasn't going to tell him anything different. He thinks he can play. He wants the ball. And he took it. He's not afraid to take it."

Williams has thrived with lead guards who are similar to Howard: passionate, driven and not scared to take on a challenge. "He's got a little Greivis in him," Williams said. "What I liked about Greivis [is] that he was never afraid of what people said that didn't agree with him. Pe'Shon has some Greivis in him. He knows how to play. He's going to play his way. It's a great attitude to have as a player. He's confident. There's going to be games where he learns things. If he has a bad game, it's not going to get to him."

Williams said the Terps could have quit three or four times in the game against Charleston. But they didn't.

Meanwhile, Texas hasn't wilted one bit in its first couple of games, routing Navy and Louisiana Tech at home. The Horns will play Illinois in the other CVC semifinal Thursday night.

Texas coach Rick Barnes has made it clear that he wants players who want to be in Austin. That's why he wasn't too miffed when Varez Ward jettisoned himself to Auburn on a transfer. So far, everyone is on board.

Barnes said as soon as last season was over, the Longhorns put it in the past. "I told everyone it's going to be about the team and to have both feet in," Barnes said. "It's been good."

ESPN.com: Katz [Print without images]

Pe'Shon Howard is not afraid to take -- and make -- big shots for Maryland.

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Jordan Hamilton has been more than good. He is averaging 22.5 points and seven rebounds a game.

"Jordan wants to be coached," Barnes said. "He's really trying to learn this game."

Barnes has had stud point guards who have taken over the team in T.J. Ford and D.J. Augustin. He won't have that type of lead guard this season. But he does have players who have appeared to accept their roles. Barnes said Jai Lucas is a defender. Dogus Balbay and Cory Joseph will share the ballhandling. J'Covan Brown is a wing, not a point guard, and that's evident by his four assists and four-turnover-per-game average.

"I'm happy with the way Dogus and Cory are working," Barnes said. "They're going to be fine. I like those guys, the way they're playing. They had 14 rebounds between them [against Louisiana Tech]. Jai Lucas has become a pest defensively."

And it helps that Texas has a star freshman forward in Tristan Thompson lighting it up early in the season as well as solid complementary players Gary Johnson and Matt Hill, who is getting the starting nod because of his practice habits. Barnes is already high on this team's defensive effort and their ability to run on the break. No offense to Dexter Pittman, but the Longhorns aren't waiting for the center to get downcourt this season. The plan is to push it as much as possible. And by holding Navy and Louisiana Tech under 60 points in the first two games, the defense is clicking.

Pitt and Illinois will get the headlines later this week, and with good reason. Each team is a trendy pick to win its conference. But Maryland, with its newly discovered money player in Howard, and Texas, with its renewed confidence and chemistry, can hardly be taken lightly in this event.

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