2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project presented by Continental Tire relocated to Mohegan Sun
October 12, 2020
PRINCETON, N.J. – The top two ranked teams in the country – Villanova and Baylor – will be joined by national powers Arizona State and Boston College as the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project presented by Continental Tire tips off the college basketball season at Mohegan Sun on November 25 and 26.
Due to the recent announcement by the NCAA regarding the start date to the 2020-21 college basketball season and the uncertainty of the opening of indoor arenas in New York City due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project presented by Continental Tire will be relocated to Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.
“We are pleased to be able to bring the best of college basketball to Mohegan Sun, especially under these trying circumstances,” says Gazelle Group president Rick Giles. “Mohegan Sun features a prime location, an outstanding facility, and the proper amenities to provide a safe, secure, and controlled environment. We truly value our relationship with Madison Square Garden that dates back to 1998 and we look forward to returning there in 2021.”
Match-ups, television arrangements, game times, and ticket information for the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project presented by Continental Tire will be announced at a later date.
Tickets previously purchased for the Championship Rounds with a credit card online or over the phones with Ticketmaster or directly through the Madison Square Garden Box Office will automatically be refunded to the original purchaser’s credit card account.
For further information about the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, go to www.empireclassic.net and follow us on social media at @empireclassicbb
In the 2019 Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, then No. 1 Duke won the title with an 81-73 victory over Georgetown.
The Gazelle Group and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame are collaborating to produce multiple college basketball games at Mohegan Sun from November 25 through December 4, 2020 and have named the space “Bubbleville”. Bubbleville will house several events relocated and reimagined due to COVID-19 and provides a controlled environment with teams and event staff adhering to tribal, government, and NCAA health and safety protocols and testing requirements.
About the Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project
First played in 1995, the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project is acclaimed as college basketball’s premier early-season tournament. Featuring teams from across the nation, the 2K Empire Classic annually attracts the top programs in the sport. Four teams from the most prestigious conferences in the country play the Championship Rounds at the World’s Most Famous Arena – New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
About 2K
Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games and 2K China. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock, Borderlands, and XCOM franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization series, the innovative Evolve, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). For more information, please visit www.2k.com.
About Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project (@wwp) is the beneficiary of the 2K Empire Classic. With the mission to honor and empower Wounded Warriors, WWP is the hand extended to encourage warriors as they adjust to their new normal and achieve new triumphs. Offering a variety of programs and services, WWP is equipped to serve warriors with every type of injury – from the physical to the invisible wounds of war.
About the Gazelle Group
The 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project 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 Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper, the Gotham Classic, the Sunshine Slam, the Bluegrass Showcase, the Holiday Face-Off, and the College Basketball Invitational. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.
About the Northeast Conference
The Northeast Conference (NEC) is the sponsoring conference of the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project. Entering its 40th season, the NEC is a NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. For more information on the NEC, visit the official website at www.northeastconference.org or follow on Twitter @NECsports.
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 the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
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