Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Doubleheader College Hoops Event Featuring Kansas, Syracuse, Miami and Princeton to be hosted at AmericanAirlines Arena

 

MIAMI, FL – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the matchups for the third annual Hoophall Miami Invitational, a premier college basketball showcase held in conjunction with AmericanAirlines Arena on December 2nd.

The one-day doubleheader event will feature a matchup of perennial powerhouses Syracuse and Kansas, as well as local-favorite Miami versus reigning Ivy League Champion Princeton.

The game between Syracuse and Kansas will be the culmination of a multi-team event in which both teams will each host Oakland University, University of Toledo and Texas Southern University on their campuses. The game between Miami and Princeton will be considered a single game in their respective schedules.

“Now in its third year, the Hoophall Miami Invitational has become a premier college basketball event in a world-class facility,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “We look forward to once again teaming up with the Miami HEAT and AmericanAirlines Arena to host these elite teams and their fans in beautiful Miami.”

ESPN has partnered to televise the doubleheader, with game times and tune-in information to be released at a later date.

Leading up to the Hoophall Miami Invitational, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will host several community events and social functions including a High School Basketball Showcase at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Tickets are now available for the 2017 Hoophall Miami Invitational via Ticketmaster.com or by contacting the AmericanAirlines Arena box office.

 

Quotes from Participating Head Coaches:

“We are looking forward to playing in the Hoophall Invitational and taking our team to Miami next season. Year-in and year-out, Syracuse has been one of the best programs in the nation. Playing Syracuse in an NBA arena will be great exposure for our program.” – Bill Self, Kansas

“We are excited to participate in the 2017 Hoophall Miami Invitational. The opportunity to play a quality program like Kansas in Miami will be as strong a test as we could hope for our team.” - Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

"We are very excited to be playing in the Hoophall Miami Invitational downtown at AmericanAirlines Arena for the second straight season. Hurricanes fans can look forward to getting an early look at our 2017-18 team, which will have seven returners and four newcomers on the roster. We will be facing a great opponent in the Princeton Tigers, who won the 2017 Ivy League Championship and played in the NCAA Tournament." - Jim Larrañaga, University of Miami

“We played Miami a couple of years ago, so we know they are a very good team. This is an opportunity for us to play at AmericanAirlines Arena, and with Syracuse and Kansas there, it highlights four great programs in December.” - Mitch Henderson, Princeton

 

About AmericanAirlines Arena

Since its opening on December 31, 1999, the 19,600-seat AmericanAirlines Arena has proudly hosted megastars such as Adele, Marc Anthony, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Drake, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Pearl Jam,  Madonna, Maná, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars to name a few. In addition, AmericanAirlines Arena is home to family shows such as the Harlem Globetrotters and Disney on Ice. AmericanAirlines Arena has also played host to several live televised events including annual award shows such as Univision’s Premio Lo Nuestro and Telemundo’s Premios Tu Mundo, and five NBA Finals, each placing Miami in the international spotlight. Private events have included product launches, corporate basketball tournaments, gala dinners and a host of meetings, large and small. For more information, please visit AAArena.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.

Visit us on the web: www.hoophall.com

… on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BBHOF

… on Twitter: @hoophall #HOFMiami

… or call 1-877-4-HOOPLA