The University of Connecticut Huskies are expected to headline the eight-team roster to compete in the inaugural tournament. The Huskies will be joined by fellow Elite Eight participant from the 2011 NCAA Tournament, the Florida State Seminoles, along with other tournament participants, North Carolina-Asheville and the College of Charleston. Harvard University, Utah, Massachusetts and Central Florida round out the remainder of the eight teams.
The tournament is scheduled forNovember 23-27. Participating schools will receive $2 million annually, which organisers say makes it the richest pre-season tournament in college basketball.
The tournament will feature the teams taking part in a 12-game structure over three days of play, with four games played during two sessions per day. The tournament will limit participation to one team per conference each year, and require teams to wait four years before returning.
Games will be played on a temporary court inside a ballroom that can hold up to 5,000 spectators and was the site of the 2009 Miss Universe pageant.
The Bahamas had a trial run of sorts with a doubleheader last December that featured Virginia Tech, Richmond, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State.
Tournament organizers wanted it to become an eight-team tournament but needed the Bahamas to gain exempt status from the NCAA. Without exempt status, teams playing in the tournament would be limited to 27 regular-season games instead of 30.
The NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors approved the Bahamas’ proposal without discussion in January, allowing it to join Canada and Mexico as the only countries with exempt status.
The event is generating an influx of hotel guests to the Atlantis resort, boosting the Bahamas’ reputation as a sports tourism destination. The Cove and the Royal Towers at Atlantis have already “sold out” for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
“We are thrilled to host some of the leading teams in college basketball including the 2011 national champions,” said George Markantonis, president and managing director of Kerzner International Bahamas, which spearheaded the tournament.
“This event is something our guests and college basketball fans around the nation will love. There simply isn’t a better way to celebrate a Thanksgiving holiday,” Markantonis added.
The tournament is also generating plenty of positive press for The Bahamas and Atlantis.
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