FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JULY 6, 2016
CBS SPORTS NETWORK TO TELEVISE EMERALD COAST CLASSIC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
NICEVILLE, FLA. — For the second consecutive year CBS Sports Network will televise the semifinal round and championship game of the third annual Emerald Coast Classic basketball tournament, which is headlined by top teams from across the country including Iowa, Memphis, Providence and Virginia.
“We’re excited to have the games on national television again on CBS Sports Network,” said tournament director Maury Hanks, who is also the chief executive officer for Global Sports. “CBS Sports Network provides extensive coverage of college basketball throughout the season and we’re pleased that the Emerald Coast Classic will be showcased on the Network.”
The semifinal round games on Nov. 25 feature Virginia against Iowa at 7 p.m. Eastern time followed by Providence playing Memphis at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time. Iowa, Providence and Virginia competed in the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The championship game Nov. 26 will tip off at 7 p.m. Eastern time at The Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College.
CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour cable home of CBS Sports, is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers, and via satellite on DIRECTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158.
For more information, and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.
Grambling, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Savannah State and St. Francis Brooklyn also are competing in the tournament.
First and second-round games will be played at on-campus sites Nov. 13 through Nov. 22, with the third round and championship round scheduled Thanksgiving weekend on Nov. 25-26 at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Fla.
Iowa State captured the 2015 Emerald Coast Classic title beating Illinois, 84-73, in the championship.
“We have four great basketball programs with rich traditions from the top conferences in the country,” added Hanks.
Virginia was ranked No. 5 in both the final 2015-16 Associated Press and USA Today Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches polls. Virginia posted a 29-8 record last season, while advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 1985.
During Tony Bennett’s tenure as head coach Virginia has won 29 or more games in each of the last three season including a school-record tying 30 in 2014 and 2015. The Cavaliers captured back-to-back outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular season titles in 2014 and 205 , won the the 2014 ACC Tournament championship and earned a no. 2 ranking in the associated Press poll, marking the school’s highest ranking since 1982-83. Virginia earned No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 206 and was a No. 2 seed in 2015.
The Cavaliers are ranked No. 8 in the USA Today Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches 2016-17 preseason poll.
Iowa recorded a 24-12 mark tying for third place in the Big 10 Conference while advancing to the NCAA Round of 32 this past season.The Hawkeyes return eight players, including second-leading scorer from a year ago Peter Jok (16.1 ppg).
Providence owned a 24-11 mark last year, including a 10-8 record in BIG EAST play, while earning its third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. The Friars defeated Southern California (70-69) before losing to No. 1 seed North Carolina. The Friars received 33 votes to finish No. 30 in the final USA Today Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches polls
Memphis returns two starters from last year’s squad which constructed a 19-15 record. Sophomore swingman Dedric Lawson is the team’s top returning scorer (15.8 ppt) and rebounder (9.3 rig).
Legendary coach Tubby Smith, who guided the University of Kentucky to the 1998 NCAA title, was named the 18th head coach in the storied history of the University of Memphis basketball program April 14. He is just one of two coaches to lead five different schools to the NCAA tournament and in 2016 he earned the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award.
Smith, who has a 557-276 career record at Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Texas Tech, is a three-time National Coach of the Year, and most recently The Sporting News National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year in 2016. During a 10-year span between his tenures with three different programs (Tulsa, Georgia, and Kentucky), he advanced his team to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 or beyond eight times.
He has led teams to one National Championship, four NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearances, nine NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances, and 17 overall NCAA Tournament berths. He has coached 13 NBA draft picks and 22 former players have gone on to play in the NBA.
Global Sports has produced 33 multi team college basketball tournaments in the past nine years with four more coming in the 2016-17 season.
