Legends Classic Announces Championship Rounds

The 13th annual Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper is highlighted by Final Four participant Auburn meeting New Mexico and Wisconsin taking on Richmond in the semifinals of the Championship Rounds at Barclays Center on Monday, Nov. 25.

Auburn, which reached its first Final Four in school history, posted a 30-10 record last season in recording back-to-back 20-wins seasons for the first time in 19 years. New Mexico welcomes back three starters from a year ago and an impact transfer.

Wisconsin is coming off its 20th NCAA Tournament bid in the last 21 years and its 15th 20-win season in the last 17. Richmond welcomes back all five starters from last year’s squad.
The semifinal winners will meet for the Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper title on Tuesday, Nov. 26, preceded by the consolation game.

This will mark the eighth straight year that Barclays Center will host the Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper. Tickets for the Championship Rounds can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.

Auburn, Wisconsin, Richmond, and New Mexico will host two games on their home courts in addition to playing a pair of games at Barclays Center. They are joined in the Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper by Green Bay, Cal State Northridge, Colgate, and McNeese State. The Legends Classic Subregional will be hosted by Green Bay, Nov. 25-26. Those matchups will be announced at a later date.
 

 
Auburn (Head Coach: Bruce Pearl, Southeastern Conference) – In five seasons, Bruce Pearl has brought life back to the Auburn program, leading the Tigers to their first Final Four in school history with a 30-10 record – the first time Auburn posted back-to-back 20-win seasons since 1998-99 and 1999-2000 and for just the fourth time in school history…forward Anfernee McLemore and guard Samir Doughty headline the returning players…McLemore tallied 6.7 ppg and swatted away 43 shots last season, while Doughty averaged 7.3 ppg and had 67 assists and 54 steals…the Tigers also welcome the No. 21 ranked (ESPN.com) recruiting class in the nation…Auburn is making its Legends Classic debut in November.

New Mexico (Head Coach: Paul Weir, Mountain West Conference) – Paul Weir is entering his third season at New Mexico and welcomes back three starters and five of the top six scorers from this past year’s squad…swingman Vance Jackson was second among the Lobos with a 13.1 ppg average and 7.0 rpg average…forward Carlton Bragg topped the Lobos with an 8.8 rpg average while netting 10.5 ppg…UNM will also welcome back Ohio State transfer JaQuan Lyle, a junior who sat out this season due to injury…New Mexico’s signature win of the year was downing then-No. 5 Nevada, 85-58…the Lobos are making their first Legends Classic appearance.

Wisconsin (Head Coach: Greg Gard, Big Ten Conference) – Entering his fifth season as head coach at Wisconsin, Greg Gard led the Badgers to a 23-11 record, marking the 15th time in the last 17 years that Wisconsin has won at least 20 games, and their 20th NCAA Tournament berth in the last 21 seasons…Wisconsin features a starting lineup with three juniors, led by guard D’Mitrik Trice, who averaged 11.6 ppg to go along with 90 assists; backcourt mate Brad Davison had 36 steals and netted 10.5 ppg; and forward Nate Reuvers averaged 7.9 ppg and 3.9 rpg with a team-high 60 blocked shots…the Badgers are making their first appearance in the Legends Classic.

Richmond (Head Coach: Chris Mooney, Atlantic 10 Conference) – Entering his 15th season at Richmond, Chris Mooney is the school’s all-time winningest coach with 250 victories…all five starters are expected to return for the Spiders, along with seven additional players…three juniors lead the returnees, spearheaded by Grant Golden, the Spiders’ leading scorer (17.2 ppg) and rebounder (7.1 rpg)…guard Jacob Gilyard had a team-best 160 assists and averaged 16.2 ppg…forward Nathan Cayo scored at a 12.9 ppg clip…also expected back is guard Nick Sherod, who averaged 12.7 ppg before a season-ending injury in six games into the season…Richmond is playing in its first Legends Classic.

Colgate (Head Coach: Matt Langel, Patriot League) – Patriot League Coach of the Year Matt Langel guided the Raiders to the PL regular season and tournament titles before they gave Tennessee all they could handle in the NCAA Tournament…it marked the first league championship for Colgate since 1996…four starters and the top five scorers from a year ago return, led by Patriot League Player of the Year forward Rapolas Ivanauskas, who scored 15.9 ppg and had a team-best 7.8 rpg…guard Jordan Burns earned second-team All-Patriot honors with his team-high 16.3 ppg and 171 assists…he netted a record 35 points in the Patriot League final and 32 against Tennessee…Tucker Richardson (8.1 ppg, 132 assists) garnered Rookie of the Year laurels…Colgate is in the Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper for the first time.

CSUN (Head Coach: Mark Gottfried, Big West Conference) – In his first season at CSUN, Mark Gottfried led the Matadors to a seven-win improvement from the previous season, the most wins since 2013-14, and a berth in the CBI…CSUN rode the coat tails of forward Lamine Diane, who became the first player in Big West history to earn Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year honors in the same season…Diane led the Matadors in scoring (24.8 ppg), rebounding (11.2 rpg), blocks (72), and steals (50) and the nation in field goals made (340)…he was joined on the Big West first-team by guard Terrell Gomez, who tallied 19.2 ppg to go with 96 assists…this will be the first Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper for CSUN.

Green Bay (Head Coach: Linc Darner, Horizon League) – Linc Darner has been at Green Bay for four seasons, guiding the Phoenix to a Top 4 Horizon League finish three times…last season, Green Bay posted a 21-17 record after advancing to the championship game of the CIT…four starters and eight of the top nine scorers from that team return, led by guard JayQuan McCloud, who registered 13.7 ppg and 82 assists…forward ShanQuan Hemphill netted 11.7 ppg to go with 5.6 rpg and 40 steals…Green Bay is making its Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper debut.

McNeese State Cowboys (Head Coach: Heath Schroyer, Southland Conference) – Heath Schroyer is in his second season of rebuilding the Cowboys…this year, McNeese State returns only four players who played last season but among them are the top two scorers and rebounders from a year ago…guard Roydell Brown led the Cowboys in scoring (14.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg) in earning honorable mention All-Southland Conference…Sha’Markus Kennedy recorded 13.1 pg, 7.1 rpg, and 59 blocked shots…like every other team in this event, McNeese State is making its first Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper appearance.

In the 2018 Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper, Shamorie Ponds set a championship round scoring record in leading St. John’s to the title. Ponds scored 35 points and had seven assists and seven steals as the Red Storm came from behind to beat VCU, 87-86 in overtime. He was clutch down the stretch, hitting a layup with 28 seconds left in regulation to put the Red Storm up 73-72, and in overtime scoring eight points, including the game-winning lay-up with four seconds remaining. Ponds’ 67 points broke one of the oldest Legends Classic records. The previous mark of 52 was set in the inaugural Legends Classic in 2007 by A.J. Abrams of Texas. Ponds also broke Abrams’ four-game scoring record with 108 points. 

About the Legends Classic
Begun in 2007, the Legends Classic has become one of the nation’s most eagerly-anticipated early-season men’s basketball tournaments. Regularly attracting the top programs in the country, four teams from the most prestigious conferences in the country host a pair of games before heading to Brooklyn, N.Y., and Barclays Center – the home of the Brooklyn Nets – to complete in the nationally televised Legends Classic Championship Rounds.

About the Gazelle Group
The Legends Classic 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 Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, the Gotham Classic, the Sunshine Slam, and the College Basketball Invitational. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.

About Old Trapper
Old Trapper Smoked Products has produced its signature line of authentic handmade meat snacks from its headquarters in Forest Grove, Oregon since 1969. Those 50 years of experience, complemented by continued investments in state-of-the-art processes, result in top-quality products that are distributed nationwide.

About the Northeast Conference
The Northeast Conference (NEC) is the sponsoring conference of the Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper. Entering its 39th season, the NEC is a NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 11 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 BSE Global
BSE Global, formerly Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, develops and operates state-of-the-art venues and manages premier sports franchises, delivering dynamic content and experiences for audiences. BSE oversees programming, marketing, sales, and operations for Barclays Center; NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum; and Webster Hall. BSE manages and controls the Brooklyn Nets and its NBA G League team, the Long Island Nets.

Barclays Center, which opened on September 28, 2012, offers 17,732 seats for basketball, 15,795 for hockey, and up to 19,000 seats for concerts, and has 101 luxury suites, four bars/lounges, four clubs, and Parm Italian Restaurant & 40/40 CLUB by Tanduay Rum.

NYCB LIVE reopened on April 5, 2017 after undergoing an extensive renovation. The venue offers 14,500 seats for basketball, MMA and boxing, 13,900 for hockey, up to 15,000 for concerts, and 4,500 seats for its theater configuration.

With a focus on emerging businesses, BSE identifies and creates alliances, strategic partnerships and other business opportunities to ensure the success of its assets.