Phoenix, Ariz. – Georgia Tech and Southern California will face off on Dec. 18 at the Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., as part of the third annual Jerry Colangelo Classic announced Tuesday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The one-day quadruple-header also features 2021 NCAA runner-up Gonzaga vs. Texas Tech, Grand Canyon vs. San Francisco and Northern Arizona vs. San Diego.
The fourth meeting in the teams’ histories will pit the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Yellow Jackets, coming off a 17-9 season (11-5 ACC) and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, against a Trojans team that finished second in the Pac-12 conference with a 15-5 record (25-8 overall) and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight, where they lost to Gonzaga.
Tech and USC last met in a home-and-away series in the late 2000s, with the Jackets capturing a 79-53 victory in 2009 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, a year after USC took a 76-57 win at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. The teams’ first game is forever etched in Yellow Jackets’ NCAA Tournament lore as the “Miracle in Milwaukee,” when James Forrest’s buzzer-beating three-pointer produced a 79-78 win over the sixth-ranked Trojans in the second round of the Midwest Regional.
“We’re excited to bring Georgia Tech’s basketball team to Phoenix and support the Basketball Hall of Fame in this top-notch event,” said Tech head coach Josh Pastner. “USC is a terrific opponent for us; they’ve played at a high level in recent years. We’re both strong academic institutions with quality basketball programs. We know this will be a great test for our team, and a great addition to a strong non-conference schedule for us.”
The Jerry Colangelo Classic is one event in the Hall of Fame’s series of collegiate events, which continues to grow in an effort to celebrate the game outside the museum walls. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to continue its relationship with Learfield IMG College for sponsorship representation of its portfolio of collegiate events and Position Sports in an event operations and media relations capacity.
Ticket information, game times and additional television broadcast details and will be released at a later date. As the health and safety of the athletes, fans and staff is of the utmost importance, the Basketball Hall of Fame will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely in the coming months and provide updates as needed.
More of Georgia Tech’s non-conference men’s basketball schedule will be announced in the coming weeks, while the Atlantic Coast Conference will announce the conference schedules for its teams in late summer. The Yellow Jackets have home-and-away series with Boston College, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, and will also host Florida State, Louisville, NC State and Wake Forest. Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina and Virginia Tech all played in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, with the Seminoles reaching the Sweet 16. (Tech will face Duke, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Virginia on the road only).
The defending ACC champion Yellow Jackets welcome back five of their top seven scorers for head coach Josh Pastner’s sixth season, including junior guard Michael Devoe (Orlando, Fla.), senior forward Jordan Usher (Canton, Ga.), senior guard Bubba Parham (Snellville, Ga.), senior forward Khalid Moore (Briarwood, N.Y.) and junior guard Kyle Sturdivant (Norcross, Ga.). Those returnees are bolstered by the transfer of guard Deivon Smith (Loganville, Ga.) from Mississippi State and a freshman class ranked No. 16 in the nation.
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
Men’s season ticket prices start at $290, and returning season ticket holders that renew their seats by April 9 will save $25 per ticket. All price levels and associated TECH Fund donations remain unchanged from 2019-20. For a full pricing chart and list of benefits, click here.
Aside from receiving significant cost-savings compared to single-game ticket prices, season ticket purchasers can take an advantage of an interest-free payment plan, receive priority for tickets to post-season events, use online technology to transfer tickets, receive season parking options and access to a secure secondary ticket market.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and the Support The Swarm Fund, created to give fans an opportunity to help Georgia Tech athletics maintain its recent momentum through the financial challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team won the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship in 2021 after finishing fourth in the regular season. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, winning four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), playing in the NCAA Tournament 17 times and playing 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.
