LAS VEGAS, NV-- College basketball fans looking for a high-quality hoops fix over the Holidays need to look no further than the South Point Arena in Las Vegas Dec.19-20. The South Point and Sport Tours International will be hosting the twelve team Holiday Hoops Classic on that Saturday and Sunday. The Classic features some of the top teams in three different basketball divisions.
The event kicks off with four junior college teams playing at 9 and 11:15 a.m. each morning. Midland College, currently the #1 ranked team in America, will face #9 Three Rivers Community College in the opener before two 7-2 teams, Monroe College and College of Southern Idaho square off in the second game. The third-place game will start at 9 a.m. on Sunday with the Championship game to follow.
The afternoon games feature four high-quality Division I men’s teams. The D1 games begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday when a 7-1 University of South Florida squad faces off with 2-5 University of San Francisco. Southern Illinois, a 3-1 team from the Missouri Valley Conference then faces 4-3 University of San Diego. On Sunday San Diego faces USF at 2 p.m. while San Francisco and SIU play at 4:15 p.m.
The two final games each night feature arguably the best four-team Division 1 women’s field of any tournament in the country this season. Arizona State, the #13 team in the country, faces #7 Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday while Gonzaga, a team with a 5-2 record, squares off with #8 Baylor. On Sunday the women end the event with a 6:30 p.m. contest between Baylor and Arizona State while Texas A&M and Gonzaga finish things off at 8:45 p.m.
Fans looking to purchase tickets can visit the South Point Arena website at www.southpointarena.com or check with their school’s ticket office. Fans can also watch live streaming video of the Holiday Hoops Classic by visiting the tournament page at www.sporttours.net.
by: Bret Seymour, Sport Tours International