LAS VEGAS – The battle for the Heavyweight Championship belt of the MGM Resorts Main Event will tip-off with Colorado vs. Wyoming and TCU vs. Clemson in first-round match-ups on Sunday, Nov. 24 at T-Mobile Arena. The sixth-annual men’s college basketball tournament, being played on a weekend for the first time, tips at 5 p.m. PT with CU-Wyoming followed by TCU-Clemson at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the two-day tournament go on public sale on this Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
“The quality of our fields for the MGM Resorts Main Event has continued to grow in each of our past five years and we saw three of our teams play in the NCAA Tournament last season,” said Brooks Downing, President and CEO of bdG Sports. “This may be our best field yet as excitement is extremely high at Clemson and TCU heading into the new season. Colorado is expected to be among the top three in the Pac-12 for next season. And having known Wyoming coach Allen Edwards for 25 years since he played at Kentucky, I’m certain that he will have the Cowboys ready to play in Vegas.”
The consolation and championship games will be played on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. PT, respectively.
Colorado finished 23-13 last season and returns virtually every contributor, including junior guard McKinley Wright whom played the latter half of last season with an injured shoulder. The Buffs will have two first-team All-Pac-12 players in their lineup in Wright and forward Tyler Bey and count on a strong supporting cast that includes four players that started late in the 2018-19 season. Wyoming returns six players that started multiple games last season, including Las Vegas native A.J. Banks. The Cheyenne High School alum started 18 games for the Cowboys and will be a key contributor at the guard position as Wyoming looks to replace NBA Draft pick Justin James.
TCU coach Jamie Dixon has quickly revitalized the Horned Frogs program which finished 23-14 last season. TCU will be led by senior Desmond Bane, a second-team All-Big 12 selection last year, as well as sophomore center Kevin Samuel. Dixon has now won 21+ games in each of his three seasons in Fort Worth, a feat last accomplished by the Horned Frogs 20 years ago under Coach Billy Tubbs. Clemson already has one championship entering the season as the Tigers represented the United States in the World University Games in Italy this summer. Coach Brad Brownell led the Tigers to a 6-0 record and the United States’ first gold medal since 2015 and second since 2005 at the biennial event.
Tickets will go on-sale on Friday, Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. PT at AXS.com or by calling 888-9AXSTIX. Ticket information and hotel room information for the MGM Resorts Main Event can also be found at www.mgmresortsmainevent.com and on social media at @NeonHoopsLV.