2014 Legends Classic Highlighted By Villanova, Michigan, VCU And Oregon
PRINCETON, N.J./BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Tickets for the Championship Rounds of the Legends Classic men's basketball tournament at Barclays Center in Brooklyn will go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 14, at 10:00am.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.barclayscenter.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center starting Saturday, March 15, at noon. Group tickets may be purchased by calling 855-GROUP-BK. Information regarding individual suites may be obtained by calling 718-BK-SUITE.
Highlighting the field for the eighth annual Legends Classic are Villanova, Michigan, VCU, and Oregon. These four teams, with a combined 80 NCAA Tournament appearances and 13 Final Fours, will each host a pair of regional round games on campus from Nov. 16-20 before tipping off at Barclays Center in the Championship Rounds on Nov. 24 & 25.
All four games of the Championship Rounds will be aired on ESPN networks. This marks the third year that the Legends Classic will be played at Barclays Center.
Villanova - The Wildcats are 28-3, ranked No. 3 in the national polls, and the Big East regular season champions...last season, head coach Jay Wright guided Villanova to its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last nine years, as well as their eighth 20-win season in that same span...12 of 13 players, including four starters, are expected to return next season...Villanova has been to 33 NCAA Tournaments and four Final Fours.
Michigan - The Wolverines won the 2014 Big Ten regular season championship and are 23-7 and ranked No. 8, this after advancing to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament last season...that marked Michigan's 24th NCAA Tournament appearance and seventh trip to the Final Four...head coach John Beilein has only one senior on this year's 15-man roster...the Wolverines will be making their second appearance in the Legends Classic.
VCU - The Rams are 24-7 and ranked No. 23 this season with 12 players and three starters expected to return next season...VCU reached the third round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament...it was VCU's 12th NCAA appearance, which includes the magical run to the 2011 title game...in his first four seasons, head coach Shaka Smart led VCU to 111 wins and never less than 27 in any season.
Oregon - The Ducks are 22-8 and were ranked as high as No. 10 this season after advancing to the Sweet 16 of the 2013 NCAA Tournament...last season, head coach Dana Altman guided Oregon to the fourth-most wins in school history, the Pac-12 Championship, and its first NCAA bid since 2008...10 players are expected to return from this year's squad...Oregon has been to 11 NCAA Tournaments and one Final Four.
In all, 13 of 20 starters are expected to return next season.
Matchups for the Championship Rounds, as well as the entire bracket for the 2014 Legends Classic, will be announced at a later date.
In this season's Legends Classic, Pittsburgh's Lamar Patterson posted career highs in consecutive games to lead the Panthers to the championship. In the 76-63 semifinal win versus Texas Tech, Patterson scored 23 points. In the 88-67 win over Stanford for the title, Patterson went for 24 points on 6-10 shooting from the field (3-6 from three) and 9-11 from the line. He also handed out six assists in earning tournament MVP honors.
Brooklyn Nets All Access season ticket buyers have the opportunity to purchase tickets for Barclays Center events before the general public. For more information, visit www.barclayscenter.com. To receive the latest updates and special pre-sale offers, become a Barclays Center Behind the Scenes newsletter recipient, and follow @BarclaysCenter on Twitter and Facebook.
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 2K Sports Classic, the Gotham Classic, the College Basketball Invitational, and the All-American Championship. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.
The Northeast Conference (NEC) is the sponsoring conference of the Legends Classic. Now in its 33rd 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.
Barclays Center opened on September 28, 2012, and is a major sports and entertainment venue in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. One of the most intimate seating configurations ever designed into a modern multi-purpose arena, Barclays Center offers 17,732 seats for basketball, 15,813 for hockey, and up to 18,000 seats for concerts, and has 101 luxury suites, four bars/lounges, four clubs, and 40/40 CLUB & Restaurant by American Express.
Barclays Center hosts an extensive variety of events, including premier concerts, major professional boxing cards, top college basketball, family shows, the Brooklyn Nets and soon the New York Islanders.
Barclays Center engages the customer with state-of-the-art technology to enhance the fan experience. As the first arena in the world to utilize Cisco StadiumVision mobile multicast streaming technology, Barclays Center allows fans to watch live video and instant replays from their mobile phones while connected to the arena's free Wi-Fi.
Located atop one of the largest transportation hubs in New York City, Barclays Center is accessible by 11 subway lines, the Long Island Rail Road, and 11 bus lines.
For more information on Barclays Center, please visit www.barclayscenter.com.