Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Schedule for 2018 Tip-Off Tournament presented by Citi

SPRINGFIELD, MA – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the field of teams and brackets for the 2018 Tip-Off Tournament presented by Citi. The annual NCAA men’s exempt tournament sponsored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will take place Friday, November 16 through Sunday, November 18 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Eight schools will compete in two four-team brackets with campus round games leading up to the Mohegan Sun Arena contests.

Teams scheduled to participate in this year’s Tip-Off Tournament are: George Washington University (Atlantic 10), College of the Holy Cross (Patriot League), University of Michigan (Big Ten), Norfolk State University (Mid-Eastern), Providence College (Big East), Siena College (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), University of South Carolina (SEC) and Stony Brook University (America East).

“With the recent extension of our partnership with Mohegan Sun and the addition of Citi as our presenting partner, we couldn’t be more excited about this year’s event,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament has cemented itself as one of the best early season competitions and we look forward to hosting this year’s teams and loyal fans.”

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will continue to serve as the host conference for the annual event. The MAAC has developed a strong partnership with the Basketball Hall of Fame, including the addition of a MAAC exhibit in the Hall of Fame museum in Springfield, Massachusetts.

General public tickets will go on sale Friday, September 7 at 10am ET via all Ticketmaster outlets and the Mohegan Sun Arena box office. Pre-sales for participating schools begin Friday, June 1. Neutral site game schedule, television details and an exclusive pre-sale opportunity via Citi will be released at a later date. For more information, please visit www.halloffametipoff.com.

Naismith Bracket

George Washington University

University of Michigan

Providence College

University of South Carolina

Springfield Bracket

College of the Holy Cross

Norfolk State University

Siena College

Stony Brook University

Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament presented by Citi Schedule

Campus Round Schedule

November 6

Siena College at Providence College

Norfolk State University at University of Michigan

Stony Brook University at George Washington University

November 8

Siena College at George Washington University

November 9

Stony Brook University at University of South Carolina

November 10

Holy Cross at University of Michigan

November 13

Holy Cross at Providence College

Norfolk State University at University of South Carolina

Neutral Site Brackets at Mohegan Sun Arena (November 16 – 17 – 18)

Springfield Bracket

Day 1

Stony Brook University vs Holy Cross

Norfolk State University vs Siena College

Day 2

Consolation Game

Championship Game

Naismith Bracket

Day 1

University of Michigan vs George Washington University

University of South Carolina vs Providence College

Day 2

Consolation Game

Championship Game

Quotes from Participating Head Coaches

“We’re excited to be part of such a prestigious field in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at Mohegan Sun. We’ve always prided ourselves on playing a difficult non-conference slate and this will provide us a great test early in the season.” – Maurice Joseph, George Washington University

“This prestigious tournament includes an extremely competitive field and will be one of the highlights of our schedule. We thank the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for organizing this wonderful event and are excited to be participating.” – Bill Carmody, College of the Holy Cross 

"We are looking forward to the opportunity to play in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. It is a unique event which allows us to get some quality games early in the season. We have heard wonderful things about Mohegan Sun and its arena and know our Northeast alumni base will help make it a great environment." – John Beilein, University of Michigan

“We are honored and excited to play in this year's Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. When we played a few years back, the experience was tremendous. Our program will be ready for the difficult challenges this tournament presents.” – Robert Jones, Norfolk State University

“We are looking forward to playing in the 2018 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at Mohegan Sun. We enjoy playing at Mohegan Sun Arena and had a great experience in 2014 when we participated in the event.  The arena provides a perfect setting for an in-season tournament and the location is ideal for our fans.” – Ed Cooley, Providence College

"We are very excited to be a part of the 2018 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. It is a great opportunity for our team and we look forward to playing at Mohegan Sun Arena in nearby Connecticut." – Jeff Boals, Stony Brook University

"We are excited to be a part of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, where we get to host two games against quality opponents, and then travel to Mohegan Sun for two more quality matchups. First, against a consistent NCAA Tournament team in Providence, and then versus either Michigan or George Washington. These four games will continue to add not just to the strength of our schedule, but to the quality of our program.” – Frank Martin, University of South Carolina

"We're grateful for the opportunity to represent the MAAC at this year's Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament and are excited to compete in the event. We look forward to the challenge of playing at two perennially strong programs in Providence and George Washington, as well as the opportunity to be showcased twice at Mohegan Sun Arena." – Jamion Christian, Siena College

About Mohegan Sun:

Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Today. It has won “Casino of The Year” at the Country Music Awards in 2008 & 2010 and in 2013, was voted “Arena Of The Year” at the G2E Global Gaming Conference in Las Vegas.  Mohegan Sun Arena was also ranked among the top 10 arena venues in the nation for 2014, regardless of size. In 2015, Mohegan Sun took home the IEBA award for “Casino of the Year.”  Mohegan Sun also won “Casino of the Year” in 2 categories at the 2013 & 2016 Academy of Country Music Awards. For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at ‪1-888.226-7711, ext. 27163.

About Citi:

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:

The MAAC, headquartered in Edison, N.J., consists of 11 member institutions: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University and Siena College. For more on the conference, please visit www.maacsports.com.

About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.