Kansas to Take Part in 2012 CBE Classic

March 6, 2012

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Basketball Coaches announced Tuesday afternoon the four host schools of the 2012 CBE Classic.

Kansas will be in the CBE Classic for the second time with the first coming during the 2008-09 season, when the Jayhawks fell in the championship game to Syracuse in overtime.

Kansas, Saint Louis, Texas A&M and Washington State will all meet at SprintCenter for the Championship Rounds of the CBE Classic. The semifinal matchups will be held on Monday, Nov. 19. The finals will take place the following day, Tuesday, Nov. 20, beginning with the Consolation Game, followed by the Championship Game.

The complete bracket, including matchups, game times and television information for the 2012 CBE Classic will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for the Championship Round games at Sprint Center will go on sale today, March 6 at 1:00 PM CST and may be purchased through www.axs.com, www.sprintcenter.com, or www.cbeclassic.com, by phone at 1-888-929-7849 or in person at Sprint Center Box Office.

Kansas – Currently ranked in the top 5 in the country and winners of its eighth-straight Big 12 Conference title in 2012 holds an overall record of 26-5…..will participate in its 23rd-consecutive NCAA Tournament and hunting the team’s 14th trip to the Final Four after just missing out last year, falling in the Elite Eight……led by National Player of the Year candidate and Big 12 Player of the Year Thomas Robinson (18.0 ppg, 11.9 rpg) and All-Big 12 First Team guard Tyshawn Taylor (17.2 ppg, 4.9 apg)……..Bill Self is in his ninth season as head coach of the Jayhawks and is looking to add to his NCAA all-time record of most games won over a five-year span (165). Self was named the Sporting News National Coach of the Year for the third time in his career, on March 6.

Saint Louis – Currently in second place in the Atlantic 10 Conference, with an overall record of 23-6 and receiving votes in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches and AP Polls…….looking to make its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1999-00, and second postseason appearance in the past three years……led by senior forward and Atlantic-10 Conference All-Academic Team member Brian Conklin (13.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and junior guard Kwamain Mitchell (12.0 ppg, 3.6 apg)……head coach Rick Majerus is in his sixth year at the helm of the Billikens, after serving as head coach at Utah, Ball State and Marquette.

Texas A&M – Will play in the 2012 CBE Classic as a new member of the Southeastern Conference, after spending 16 years in the Big 12 Conference….has participated in six consecutive NCAA Tournaments, one of only 12 programs in the country to achieve that feat….. led by junior guard Elston Turner (13.6 ppg) and junior forward Khris Middleton (12.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg)…..head coach Billy Kennedy is in his first season in College Station after spending the past six years leading Murray State.

Washington State – Has made the postseason in four out of the past five seasons, including last year’s run to the NIT Semi-Finals in New York and the NCAA’s Sweet Sixteen in 2007-08……. Finished last year with a 22-13 mark……led by junior forward Brock Motum (17.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and senior guard Faisal Aden (14.5 ppg, 1.3 spg)…….head coach Ken Bone is in his third season with the Cougars, after serving as head coach at Portland State University and Seattle Pacific University, his alma mater.

The event is named after the College Basketball Experience, the award-winning and highly interactive college basketball fan facility adjacent to SprintCenter, which also features the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Opened in October 2007, the College Basketball Experience is the nation’s only facility that celebrates, in its entirety, the sport of men’s collegiate basketball. The tournament, in partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), was initially established in 2001 as the Guardians Classic.