THE FLATS – Georgia Tech and Big East member St. John’s will face each other Dec. 1 in the Hoophall Miami Invitational, a one-day, four-game event held at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Fla., sponsored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The one-day quadruple-header event will feature Miami (Atlantic Coast) versus Yale (Ivy League); Georgia Tech (Atlantic Coast) versus St. John’s (Big East); NC State (Atlantic Coast) versus Vanderbilt (Southeastern); and Texas Tech (Big 12) versus Memphis (American Athletic).
Leading up to the Hoophall Miami Invitational, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will host several community events and social functions including a basketball skills clinic at Overtown Youth Center and a high school basketball showcase at AmericanAirlines Arena.
ESPN has partnered to televise the event, with game times and tune-in information to be released at a later date. Tickets are now available for the 2018 Hoophall Miami Invitational via Ticketmaster.com or by contacting the AmericanAirlines Arena box office.
Exclusive ticket blocks for participating schools will go on sale at 10 a.m. next Monday, June 11, through Ticketmaster at the following link – CLICK HERE – using the password GTYELL. Tickets in the Tech section start at $75.
“We’re excited and happy to bring Georgia Tech’s basketball team to Miami to compete in the Hoophall Miami Invitational and support the Basketball Hall of Fame,” said Tech coach Josh Pastner, beginning his third year at the helm of the Yellow Jackets. “This is fast becoming one of the premiere events in the country, and it will be a great test for our young team as we continue to build our program.”
The Tech-St. John’s game will be the 10th all-time meeting between the Yellow Jackets and the Red Storm, who hold a 5-4 lead in a series that began in 1970. The teams most recently met in the 2013 Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., a game the Red Storm won 69-58. Of the nine previous meetings, eight have been contested on neutral courts, and the other was a 79-66 Tech victory on Dec. 21, 2003 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 13-19 campaign in head coach Josh Pastner’s second season on the Flats, which also saw Tech post a 6-12 ACC record with victories over No. 15 Miami and No. 25 Notre Dame. The Red Storm went 16-17 overall and finished ninth in the Big East with a 4-14 mark.
The Hoophall contest is one of four non-conference games against power conference teams that the Yellow Jackets face, three of them on the road, including a Nov. 13 trip to Tennessee for the final game of a four-game series between the former Southeastern Conference rivals, and a Nov. 28 trip to Northwestern for the teams’ fifth meeting in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Jackets will host Georgia in the annual intrastate series on Dec. 22 at McCamish Pavilion.
Tech’s ACC schedule features home-and-away contests against Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. The Yellow Jackets also have home games against Boston College, Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, and will travel to face Duke, Miami, NC State, Syracuse and Virginia.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is beginning its third year under head coach Josh Pastner. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won three ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993), played in the NCAA Tournament 16 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on Twitter (@GTMBB) and Instagram.
For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com. Tickets for men’s basketball can be purchased here.
