Aug. 6, 2015
Paradise Island, The Bahamas – Georgia Tech will join 2015 NCAA Tournament teams Arkansas and Villanova and defending National Invitation Tournament champion Stanford Nov. 26-27 for the 2015 NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Yellow Jackets will face the Razorbacks at 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, in one semifinal, televised on ESPNU, while the Wildcats and Cardinal will meet at 4:30 p.m. in the other, on ESPN2. The third-place game will be played at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27 (ESPNU), with the championship game at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
The 2015 format will feature eight Division I programs – the four home teams of Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Stanford and Villanova will each host two designated campus-site teams prior to traveling to Brooklyn. The four campus-site teams will be Akron, Charleston Southern, East Tennessee State and Green Bay.
Georgia Tech will host Green Bay Thursday, Nov. 19, and East Tennessee State in Sunday, Nov. 22. Both games will be played at McCamish Pavilion.
“To play in the NIT Season Tip-Off is prestigious, and we’re honored to be part of it,” said Tech coach Brian Gregory. “The three teams that we see in New York are top-notch, but even beyond them, you look at the successes of Green Bay and East Tennessee State in the recent past. It’s a tremendous tournament, starting with the two games at home and ending with the teams in New York.”
Tech has played in the NIT Season Tip-Off four times previously, compiling an 11-3 record. The Yellow Jackets won the 2003 event in their last appearance at Madison Square Garden, with victories over top-ranked Connecticut and 25th-ranked Texas Tech. Now owned and operated by ESPN Events, the NIT Season Tip-Off is moving to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. It is a continuation of the annual pre-season event that has been played at Madison Square Garden since 1985.
NIT Season Tip-Off historical information
Tech and Arkansas last met in the 1984 Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawai’i, and the Jackets have a 3-1 record against the Razorbacks. Tech has lost two of three previous meetings against Stanford, most recently at the 2000 Stanford Invitational, and has a 3-0 record against Villanova, last meeting the Wildcats in the 1991 ACC-Big East Challenge at the Omni in Atlanta. Tech has won four of five meetings in the series with ETSU, most recently defeating the Buccaneers in 2013 at McCamish Pavilion. The Jackets and the Phoenix have never met in men’s basketball.
The Yellow Jackets’ non-conference schedule is now complete, save for tip times and television, which will be announced along with the complete Atlantic Coast Conference schedule later in August.
“No one can question if we’re challenging ourselves in the non-conference schedule,” added Gregory. “Looking at the teams we’re playing both home and away, then adding in this tournament with the neutral games in the Barclays Center, this may be one of the toughest non-conference schedules Georgia Tech has ever played. We have a senior group, five seniors on the team, and one of the things we promise in recruiting is that we’re going to play a national schedule. We’ve done that.”
Tickets for the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center will go on sale Friday, Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased via Ticketmaster by visiting www.barclayscenter.com, or www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning Saturday, Aug. 22 at noon. Tickets are available for groups by calling 855-GROUP-BK.
The NIT Season Tip-Off in 2016 and 2018 will also be held at Barclays Center. The 2017 event is scheduled for Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, which will soon be renovated by Bruce Ratner and Nassau Events Center (NEC), the same management team behind Barclays Center.
Championship Round Team Highlights • Stanford captured the 2015 NIT title as the No. 2 seed, upsetting No. 1 seed ODU in the semis • Villanova claimed both the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles en route to a No. 1 seed in the 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship • As a No. 5 seed, Arkansas advanced to the NCAA Championship third round, the team’s first overall berth since 2008 • Georgia Tech returns 10 letterwinners to its roster in 2015-16 and adds three transfer players with eligibility this season
NIT Season Tip-Off – Campus Site Games (Schedule subject to change)
| Date | Games |
| Fri, Nov. 13 | Green Bay at Stanford |
| Sun, Nov. 15 | Charleston Southern at Stanford |
| Tue, Nov. 17 | Green Bay at East Tennessee State |
| Wed, Nov. 18 | Akron at Arkansas |
| Thu, Nov. 19 | Green Bay at Georgia Tech |
| Fri, Nov. 20 | East Tennessee State at Villanova |
| Charleston Southern at Arkansas | |
| Sun, Nov. 22 | Akron at Villanova |
| East Tennessee State at Georgia Tech | |
| Tue, Nov. 24 | Akron at Green Bay |
| East Tennessee State at Charleston Southern | |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | Charleston Southern at Akron |
NIT Season Tip-Off – Championship Round Games at Barclays Center (Schedule subject to change)
| Date | Time (ET) | Games | Network |
| Thu, Nov. 26 | 2:00 p.m. | Arkansas vs. Georgia Tech | ESPNU |
| 4:30 p.m. | Stanford vs. Villanova | ESPN2 | |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | 12:30 p.m. | 3rd – place Game | ESPNU |
| 3:00 p.m. | Championship Game | ESPN2 |
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is beginning its fifth year under head coach Brian Gregory. The Yellow Jackets have 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 (@GTMBK).
For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com. Tickets for men’s basketball can be purchased here.
