Aug. 5, 2014
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team will face Marquette on the opening day of the 2014 Orlando Classic, the first time the teams will meet since 1977, and a second-round contest against Michigan State is possible in the bracket announced Tuesday by ESPN events.
The bracket for the 2014 Orlando Classic – to be played Thursday, Friday and Sunday, Nov. 27, 28 and 30 at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World resort near Orlando, Fla. – has been set. Tech is joined in the field by Kansas, Marquette, Michigan State, Rhode Island, Rider, Santa Clara and Tennessee.
Travel packages for Tech fans are available through Anthony Travel.
The Yellow Jackets and Golden Eagles will meet at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 27 and will be televised nationally on ESPN2 It is the teams’ first encounter since Jan. 3, 1977, when Marquette took a 63-45 win over Tech in Milwaukee and went on to win the NCAA Championship at the Omni in Atlanta. The series dates back to 1926 and is tied at three wins apiece.
Tech is on the same side of the bracket as Michigan State and Rider, who will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 27. The winner of that game and the Tech-Marquette winner will play a second-round game at 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, also on ESPN2. The losers of the two first-round games will face off at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 28, on ESPNU.
If Tech and Michigan State, which reached the NCAA Elite Eight last season, meet in the second round, it would be the first time the Jackets have faced the Spartans since November of 2005 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. It would also be head coach Brian Gregory’s first encounter with the team for which he served as an assistant coach from 1992-96 and 1999-2003.
The multi-day, destination event will feature 12 games over three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracketed-tournament format. Eight of the 12 matchups, including the championship game, will be showcased on ESPN or ESPN2. ESPNU will carry three games and one will be exclusive to ESPN3. The teams will have Saturday, Nov. 29, off before playing their final round games on Sunday, Nov. 30.
The tournament tips off Thanksgiving Day with all four games airing on ESPN2, starting with Santa Clara (West Coast) versus Tennessee (SEC) at noon ET, immediately followed by Kansas (Big 12) versus Rhode Island (Atlantic 10) at 2 p.m. Thursday’s evening session will showcase Michigan State (Big Ten) against Rider (MAAC) at 6:30 p.m. and wrap with the Tech-Marquette battle..
The Orlando Classic will feature three teams that earned berths in the 2014 NCAA Championship: Michigan State lost to eventual NCAA champion Connecticut in the Elite Eight; Tennessee advanced to the Sweet 16 and Kansas played in the third round.
Thursday, Nov 27
Santa Clara vs. Tennessee, 12 noon (ESPN2)*
Kansas vs. Rhode Island, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)*
Michigan State vs. Rider, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)**
Marquette vs. Georgia Tech, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2)**
Friday, Nov 28
Consolation #1, 12 noon or 2:30 p.m. (ESPN or ESPNU)*
Semifinal #1, 12 noon or 2:30 p.m. (ESPN or ESPNU)*
Consolation #2, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)**
Semifinal #2, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)**
Sunday, Nov 30
7th-place Game, 10:30 a.m. (ESPN3)
3rd-place Game, 1 or 4 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
5th-place Game, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Championship Game, 1 or 4 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
*bracket 1; **bracket 2
Tico Brown, Jim Wood, Lenny Horton were core of @GTMBK team last it met Marquette in 1977. #TogetherWeSwarm pic.twitter.com/JPopJDCscD
— GT Men's Basketball (@GTMBK) August 5, 2014
About Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is beginning its fourth 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.
