Lincoln – Nebraska will take on a first-time foe to open the Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant, as the pairing for the eight-team field was unveiled Wednesday morning. The eight-team, 12-game tournament runs Nov. 21-24 at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.
The Huskers will take on UMass in their tournament opener on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 11:30 a.m. (CT) on ESPN3. This will be the first-ever meeting on the court between the two programs, as the Minutemen went 21-12 last year and reached the NIT. UMass returns three starters, including All-Atlantic 10 point guard Chaz Williams, who ranked third nationally in assists per game (7.3 apg) in 2012-13 while also averaging a team-high 15.5 points per game.
Nebraska would take on either UAB or New Mexico on Friday Nov. 22, with the semifinal taking place at 1:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2 or ESPNU and the consolation game taking place at 11 a.m. on ESPNU or ESPN3. New Mexico returns four starters from a team that went 29-6 and was a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Guard Kendall Williams (13.5 ppg, 5.0 apg) and center Alex Kirk (12.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg) highlight the Lobo returners. UAB returns four starters for second-year coach Jerod Haase, paced by All-CUSA forward Rod Rucker, who averaged 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a junior. Nebraska will meet one of the remaining four teams – Clemson, Davidson Georgia and Temple – on the final day of competition on Sunday, Nov. 24.
ESPN3 will have five exclusive games and ESPNU will air four contests, while the championship game will be shown on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2. Colorado won the 2012 tournament title. Previous winners include Clemson (2008), Miami (2009), Georgetown (2010) and Northwestern (2011).
Nebraska, under second-year Coach Tim Miles, returns three starters from a team that went 15-18 in his first season, including guard Ray Gallegos and forwards David Rivers and Shavon Shields. Gallegos, who averaged 12.5 ppg in 2012-13, led the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game and ranked second in school history with 83 3-pointers, while Shields averaged 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as a true freshman. Rivers started NU’s final 17 games at forward and averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. In all, 10 letterwinners return for the Huskers in 2013-14, while eight newcomers, including three redshirts, will suit up for the Scarlet and Cream this season.
Fans can purchase tickets to all six sessions (12 games) for $100 each, or single-session tickets (two games) for $20 each. Tickets are available at www.CharlestonClassic.com, by calling the College of Charleston box office at (843) 953-2632 or at the TD Arena Box Office. Discounted hotel accommodations as well as game tickets are now available for fans traveling to Charleston. Visit AnthonyTravel.com/