Hoops Tourney time nears
About two weeks are left in the CIAA basketball regular season and if you're looking for tickets for the 61st annual Tournament set for Feb. 27 thru March 4 at the new Bobcats Arena in downtown Charlotte, N.C., hope you know somebody that's got some for sale.
That's because as of Monday, Feb. 6, all the ticket booklets for the
tournament, in the first year of a three-year run
in Charlotte, are sold out according to Lisa Cox-Butler,
the CIAA's director of finance and business manager who
also serves as ticket manager for the tournament. Cox-Butler said the final books
were sold at the conference office on Monday. She also said all CIAA
member-institutions had reported all of their ticket
allotments sold.
CIAA Commissioner Leon G. Kerry had said last week that there were some 2,500 upper level tickets still available. They're gone now. Cox-Butler said general admission tickets will be available at the arena for games on Monday thru Wednesday.
CIAA Assistant Commissioner, Jeff McLeod also said hotels in the Charlotte area are very scarce.
CIAA Tournament events begin with the women's Tip-Off Banquet on Sun., Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Westin Hotel and culminates with the women's final on Sat., March 4 at 9 p.m. Play begins with women's opening round action starting at 1 p.m. on Mon, Feb. 27. The men's opening round starts on Wed., March 1 at 1 p.m.
ESPN Classic will carry the men's quarterfinals and semifinals with ESPN2 carrying the men's championship game at 6 p.m. on Sat., March 4.
Details are available at the tournament website, ciaatournament.org.
In the same week as the CIAA, the SIAC will stage its four-day tournament at Fair Park Arena in Birmingham, Al., dubbed 'The Jam in B'ham,' from March 1-5. It will be the men's 73rd tournament and the 28th for the ladies.
The events begin with the SIAC Awards Banquet on Tuesday Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Play begins with opening round action at 10 a.m. on Wednesday March 1 and ends with the men's final on Sat., March 4 at 3 p.m. ESPNU will carry the women's 12 noon final on tape delay and the men's final live. More information is available at the tournament website (siacbasketball tournament.com.)
The MEAC begins a three-year run at the RBC Center in Raleigh when it begins its tournament festivities on Monday, March 6 at 6 p.m. with the Tip-Off Banquet. Men's and women's opening round action begins on Tuesday, March 7 at 11 a.m. The women's final is set for Sat., March 4 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2 with the men's final to follow at 7:30 on ESPN. The MEAC tournament website is meachoops.com.
The SWAC Tournament will be held at the Birmingham/Jefferson County Civic Center beginning on Tuesday, March 7 with the SWAC Awards Reception. Play begins Wednesday, March 8 with women's quarterfinals at 10 a.m.. The men's quarterfinals are Thursday, March 9 at the same time. The women's final, carried on ESPN2, is set for Sat., March 4 at 4:30 p.m. The men's final on ESPN is at 7 p.m. The SWAC tourney website is swac.org/championships/basketball.php
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