Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, and West Virginia will host the Regional Rounds of the Guardians Classic, a 16-team college basketball tournament, on November 12-16, 2005. The Championship Rounds of the event will be held November 21-22 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
Last year, Creighton won the Guardians Classic with an overtime win against Ohio State, 65-63.
Tickets for this year’s Championship Rounds will go on sale this Saturday (08/20/05) at 10:00 a.m. CST. See below for more information.
Outlined below are the dates, locations, and matchups for the tournament.
Regional Rounds:
Lexington Regional Rounds
November 13th & 14th
Rupp Arena ? Lexington, Ky.
Kentucky vs. South Dakota State
Lipscomb vs. Northern Colorado
Austin Regional Rounds
November 15th & 16th
Frank Erwin Center ? Austin, Texas
Texas vs. Southern
Samford vs. Sacramento State
Iowa City Regional Rounds
November 14th & 15th
Carver-Hawkeye Arena ? Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa vs. UMES
Colgate vs. Utah Valley State
Morgantown Regional Rounds
November 12th & 13th
WVU Coliseum ? Morgantown, W.V.
West Virginia vs. Louisiana Monroe
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Wofford
Championship Rounds:
Semifinal Doubleheader
November 21st
Municipal Auditorium
Austin Winner vs. Morgantown Winner
Iowa City Winner vs. Lexington Winner
Championship Doubleheader
November 22nd
Municipal Auditorium
Consolation Game
Championship Game
Guardians Classic Notes:
Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, and West Virginia are all anticipated to be ranked in the top 15 this preseason.
Five teams in the 2005 Guardians Classic made the NCAA tournament last season: Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, West Virginia, and Fairleigh Dickinson.
Five Wooden Award nominees will play in the 2005 Guardians Classic: Daniel Gibson (Texas), Jeff Horner (Iowa), Kevin Pittsnogle (West Virginia), Rajon Rondo (Kentucky), and P.J. Tucker (Texas).
Iowa, UMES, Sacramento State, Samford, and Wofford all played in the inaugural Guardians Classic in 2001. Iowa advanced to the Championship Game, losing to Missouri by a last-second free throw, 78-77.
“We are excited that 16 programs, from 16 different conferences, are competing in this year’s Guardians Classic. This event exemplifies the strength and positive message from our Guardians of the Game program,” said Jim Haney, Executive Director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. “The 2005 Guardians Classic will demonstrate the positive nature of college basketball, the role coaches play in the lives of student-athletes, and the contributions that coaches make to their communities.”
The Guardians Classic was created to promote the NABC’s Guardians of the Game program, which emphasizes four core values: advocacy, leadership, service, and education.
Tickets for the Championship Rounds will go on sale this Saturday at 10:00AM CST and can be purchased at the following locations:
The Official Guardians Classic Website:
Ticketmaster: (816) 931-3330 (use the code word CATS to sit in Kentucky’s section) or
The Municipal Auditorium Box Office: (816) 513-5000
VIP Ticket & Hospitality Packages: Contact Max Perkins at (609) 921-1300 or
Group Ticket Packages: Contact Justine Schramke at (609) 921-1300 or
For more information on Regional Round tickets please contact each host school’s box office:
University of Iowa: (800) IA-HAWKS or visit
University of Kentucky: (859) 257-1818 or visit
University of Texas: (800) 982-2386 or visit
West Virginia University: (800) WVU-GAME or visit
The Guardians Classic is produced by The Gazelle Group. For more information about the Guardians Classic, visit or contact Matt Borrello at (609)921-1300 or .
