Photo by: SMC Athletics / Piper Westrom
MBB | Gaels to Play in Acrisure Classic Over Thanksgiving Week
6/3/2024 11:31:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — All eyes will be on the Saint Mary's Men's Basketball team over Thanksgiving weekend, as the Gaels will take part in the star-studded Acrisure Classic on November 28 and 29. The tournament will feature some of the top west coast college basketball programs, as the Gaels will join New Mexico, Arizona State and USC on the Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs.
The Gaels have seen the New Mexico Lobos in each of the last two seasons in Moraga, splitting those two meetings. In program history, Saint Mary's has met up with Arizona State twice, defeating the Sun Devils in both of those meetings (1954 and 2019). The Gaels have not seen the Trojans of USC since 2009, but are 0-10 against the Trojans all time.
The opening matchup of the tournament, set for Thursday, 11/28, will feature the Gaels and the USC Trojans at 6 PM. A win would punch the Gaels ticket into the tournament title game on 11/29 at 8:30 PM against the winner of New Mexico and Arizona State, while a loss would put the Gaels into the third place game at 6 PM against the loser of ASU-UNM.
Saint Mary's played in seven neutral site contests last season, going 3-4 with wins over UNLV in the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Phoenix, and Santa Clara and Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas.
"We are excited to have creatively scheduled four full days of high quality men's and women's college basketball at Acrisure Arena," said co-Tournament Director Dan Shell. "We are very grateful to our partners at Acrisure and Visit Greater Palm Springs who made this event possible, and for TNT Sports for jumping into this with us for the years to come to take this event to the next level. We think the Acrisure series of college basketball events will be among the best holiday events in the country."
"Sponsoring the Acrisure Series is a testament to our commitment to excellence and community engagement," said Acrisure's chairman and CEO Greg Williams. "We are thrilled to see the tournament expand in 2024, bringing fans from across the country to Acrisure Arena for an unforgettable celebration of top-tier college basketball. We are proud to play a hand in creating and growing this premier event on the basketball calendar."
"We're gearing up for the second annual Acrisure Series with excitement and anticipation," said Scott White, President & CEO at Visit Greater Palm Springs. "Spectators will experience our oasis of picturesque mountains, endless sunshine, palm-tree filled vistas and world-class accommodations. Greater Palm Springs is a quintessential destination for visitors interested in a variety of unforgettable experiences in an iconic setting, and we are thrilled to be the host destination." "The Tribe has always supported sports at all levels, and as a founding partner of Acrisure Arena, we're proud to take part in bringing College level Tournaments to the Coachella Valley." said Spotlight29 Casino Chairman Darrell Mike. "We can help turn the Valley into the premier sports destination in Southern California."
Tickets for the Acrisure Classic go on sale June 7, at 10:00 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST) and will be available at the Acrisure Arena box office, online at acrisurearena.com and Ticketmaster.com, the official ticketing provider of Acrisure Arena. One ticket is admission for the entire day, and can be used to watch any and all games played in Acrisure Arena on that day.
#GaelsRise
The Gaels have seen the New Mexico Lobos in each of the last two seasons in Moraga, splitting those two meetings. In program history, Saint Mary's has met up with Arizona State twice, defeating the Sun Devils in both of those meetings (1954 and 2019). The Gaels have not seen the Trojans of USC since 2009, but are 0-10 against the Trojans all time.
The opening matchup of the tournament, set for Thursday, 11/28, will feature the Gaels and the USC Trojans at 6 PM. A win would punch the Gaels ticket into the tournament title game on 11/29 at 8:30 PM against the winner of New Mexico and Arizona State, while a loss would put the Gaels into the third place game at 6 PM against the loser of ASU-UNM.
Saint Mary's played in seven neutral site contests last season, going 3-4 with wins over UNLV in the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Phoenix, and Santa Clara and Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas.
"We are excited to have creatively scheduled four full days of high quality men's and women's college basketball at Acrisure Arena," said co-Tournament Director Dan Shell. "We are very grateful to our partners at Acrisure and Visit Greater Palm Springs who made this event possible, and for TNT Sports for jumping into this with us for the years to come to take this event to the next level. We think the Acrisure series of college basketball events will be among the best holiday events in the country."
"Sponsoring the Acrisure Series is a testament to our commitment to excellence and community engagement," said Acrisure's chairman and CEO Greg Williams. "We are thrilled to see the tournament expand in 2024, bringing fans from across the country to Acrisure Arena for an unforgettable celebration of top-tier college basketball. We are proud to play a hand in creating and growing this premier event on the basketball calendar."
"We're gearing up for the second annual Acrisure Series with excitement and anticipation," said Scott White, President & CEO at Visit Greater Palm Springs. "Spectators will experience our oasis of picturesque mountains, endless sunshine, palm-tree filled vistas and world-class accommodations. Greater Palm Springs is a quintessential destination for visitors interested in a variety of unforgettable experiences in an iconic setting, and we are thrilled to be the host destination." "The Tribe has always supported sports at all levels, and as a founding partner of Acrisure Arena, we're proud to take part in bringing College level Tournaments to the Coachella Valley." said Spotlight29 Casino Chairman Darrell Mike. "We can help turn the Valley into the premier sports destination in Southern California."
Tickets for the Acrisure Classic go on sale June 7, at 10:00 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST) and will be available at the Acrisure Arena box office, online at acrisurearena.com and Ticketmaster.com, the official ticketing provider of Acrisure Arena. One ticket is admission for the entire day, and can be used to watch any and all games played in Acrisure Arena on that day.
#GaelsRise
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