Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational Brings High-Quality NCAA Hoops to Orleans Arena Nov. 24-25
The Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational, an annual action-packed NCAA basketball tournament, returns to the Orleans Arena Nov. 24 and 25.
The field of competitors includes University of Arizona, Santa Clara University, Butler University, Vanderbilt University, University of Northern Colorado, Bucknell University, Norfolk State University and Sacred Heart University.
Arizona head coach Sean Miller hopes to lead the Wildcats to victory at the Invitational. Arizona enters the tournament with a 25-win season and an appearance at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship last year. The team’s 92 wins since the 2013-14 season are the third-most in the country.
Santa Clara enters the Invitational with guard Jared Brownridge, the West Coast Conference’s top scorer last season who averaged 20.6 points per game. The Broncos are also led by first-year head coach Herb Sendek, a three-time conference coach of the year with more than 400 career victories under his belt.
The Butler Bulldogs come to Las Vegas after reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament each of the previous two seasons under head coach Chris Holtmann. The 2016-17 Bulldogs return three starters from last year’s team, including Kelan Martin, who averaged 15.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
First-year head coach Bryce Drew leads the Vanderbilt Commodores into the Invitational with last year’s leading scorer Matthew Fisher-Davis, who shot 44 percent from three-point range to lead the SEC. Vanderbilt finished last season with a 19-14 record and earned a space in the NCAA Tournament.
Each team will play four games – the first two at campus sites and the final two at the Orleans Arena.
The first game of the tournament begins at 11:30 a.m. both days. Two-day ticket packages are available from $50, plus tax and fees, and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or online at orleansarena.com.
About Orleans Arena
The Orleans Arena, a Boyd Gaming facility located just west of the Las Vegas Strip, is one of the nation’s leading multi-purpose sports and entertainment facilities and the 2014 recipient of the Venue Excellence Award from the International Association of Venue Managers. In addition, the Orleans Arena is one of only a handful of arenas in the United States to achieve LEED Gold Certification and is part of the largest company in Nevada to achieve SHARP Certification for commitments to safe venue operations. According to Venues Today magazine, the Orleans Arena, which hosts more than 200 events each year, consistently ranks in the Top 10 for ticket sales in the United States and internationally among venues of similar size. These events include nationally touring concerts, NCAA basketball conference tournaments, family shows, motorsports and other unique events. For more information, call 702-365-7469 or visit www.OrleansArena.com. Stay connected to the Orleans Arena on Facebook (www.facebook.com/orleansarena) and on Twitter (@orleansarena). Additional news and information on Boyd Gaming can be found at www.boydgaming.com.