Top NCAA College Basketball Teams Return to Orleans Arena for the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational Nov. 23-24′
The action-packed NCAA basketball tournament, Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational, will return to Orleans Arena on Nov. 23-24.
The college basketball teams participating in this year’s early season tournaments include Xavier University, Kansas State University, Arizona State University, George Washington University, Hampton University, Rider University, University of California, Irvine and Northern Arizona University.
By consensus, Xavier University has been named the preseason Top 25 team again for the 2017-2018 season. Head coach Chris Mack has six returning letter winners, including four returning starters that reached the 2017 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. The returning starters include senior All-American candidate and two-time First Team All-Big East selection Trevon Bluiett, who made the NCAA Tournament All-Region Team. Xavier University also adds a star-studded recruiting class that is ranked top 10 in the country by several sports experts.
Kansas State University, led by sixth-year head coach Bruce Weber, returns nine lettermen, including four players with starting experience from a team that won 21 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five seasons. The Wildcats will be led in 2017-2018 by juniors Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade, who each started all 35 games as sophomores in the 2016-2017 season. The trio averages better than nine points per game with 39 or more three-pointers.
The Arizona State University (ASU) Sun Devils, led by third-year head coach Bobby Hurley, will bring a pair of a 1,000-point career scorers as guards Tra Holder and Shannon Evans return with fellow senior Kodi Justice. Best known for being one of last season’s best free throw shooting teams in college history, ASU will welcome six newcomers to the team that has become one of the best scoring Sun Devil squads in 20 seasons, averaging 78.6 points per game.
During the 2016-2017 season, George Washington University reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive season, advancing to the second round of the College Basketball Invitational. George Washington University is set to return four players who started 10 or more games last season, led by senior guard Yuta Watanabe, who was second on the team in scoring and rebounding, earning Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team honors. Graduate student forward Patrick Steeves and two sophomores in forward Arnaldo Toro and guard Jair Bolden will also return to the team, along with nine newcomers to the program.
Each team will play four games – the first two at campus sites and the final two at the Orleans Arena.
The first game of therom $50 plus taxes and fees, and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000; online at www.orleansarena.com; or in-person at the gift shops inside The Orleans, Suncoast, Gold Coast and Sam’s Town. Tickets may also be purchased the day of the game (depending on availability) at the venue box office.
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 and on Twitter (@orleansarena). The Orleans Arena is a property of Boyd Gaming. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Boyd Gaming is a leading diversified owner and operator of 24 gaming entertainment properties located in Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Additional news and information on Boyd Gaming can be found at www.boydgaming.com.