PRINCETON, NJ (09/17/03) - The Gazelle Group is pleased to announce the field and match-ups for the eighth annual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic to be held on November 13-14, 2003 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. For the second straight year the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic will feature eight teams, with each team playing a single game in a "showcase" style event. Match-ups for the championship round of the event at Madison Square Garden are as follows:
Thursday, November 13th - 7 p.m. EST Friday, November 14th - 7 p.m. EST
Memphis vs. Wake Forest
Pittsburgh vs. Alabama
Marquette vs. St. John's
Gonzaga vs. Saint Joseph's
All four games will be televised nationally on ESPN2. This year's event will again feature eight of the top teams from around the country. Memphis vs. Wake Forest
Memphis began last season by defeating eventual national champion Syracuse in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and finished with a 23-7 record. Wake Forest is the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion (13-3 in 2002-03) and returns four starters from a team that finished 25-6 overall. Marquette vs. St. John's
Marquette's road to the Final Four began last year at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic with a win over Villanova. St. John's, which has nine returning players, captured the 2003 NIT championship, the sixth NIT title in its history. Pittsburgh vs. Alabama
Pittsburgh, the Big East defending champion, has a 63-12 record over the past two seasons and has been in the "Sweet 16" both years. Alabama made its second consecutive NCAA tournament last season with the help of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic where the Crimson Tide beat Oklahoma en route to a No. 1 in-season ranking. Gonzaga vs. Saint Joseph's
Who is the best non-power conference team out there? This match-up of Top 20 teams will determine it. Gonzaga has been in the NCAA tournament five straight seasons, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1999 and "Sweet 16" appearances in 2000 and 2001. Saint Joseph's is coming off a 23-7 season and is looking to earn its third NCAA appearance in the last four years. Tickets for the 2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic will go on sale Thursday, September 18th, at noon at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, TicketMaster by phone at (212) 307-7171, or by logging on to the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic page of Ticketmaster.com. Last year's Coaches vs. Cancer Classic field included three eventual Final Four teams from the 2003 NCAA tournament - Marquette, Syracuse and Texas. In addition to featuring 14 preseason Top 20 teams over the past four years, the event has opened the season with the last two eventual national champions competing at the Garden (Maryland in 2001-02 and Syracuse in 2002-03). Since 1995, the Gazelle Group, producers of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, has raised more than $2.1 million for Coaches vs. Cancer. The Coaches vs. Cancer program, created by the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, exists to leverage the strength, community leadership and celebrity of our country's basketball coaches to raise awareness, and in turn, reduce cancer risk through education programs while raising funds for the American Cancer Society. For more information about the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, please contact Michael Matkowski at (609) 921-1300 or mmatkowski@gazellegroup.com. General information about the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic can be found by logging on to www.cvcclassic.com. Members of the media can also visit the Media Page for event history and records, logos and photos. The Coaches vs. Cancer ® program, created by the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches exists to leverage the strength, community leadership and celebrity of our country's basketball coaches to raise awareness and in turn, reduce cancer risk through education programs while raising funds for the American Cancer Society.