DETROIT (7/28/2016) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will play four non-conference games as part of the 2016 NIT Season Tip-Off, including road games at Illinois of the Big Ten and the ACC's Florida State.
The showdown with the Illini is set for Nov. 18. Two days later, the Titans will be in the Sunshine State at FSU. As part of the event, Detroit Mercy will also play at New Hampshire on Nov. 23 and host Manhattan on Nov. 26.
Illinois was 15-19 last season but returns five of its top six scorers, including leading scorer, rebounder and top assist playmaker Malcolm Hill (18.1 ppg., 6.6 rpg., 3.2 apg.). The Illini will be a veteran team in 2016-17 with seven upperclassmen on their roster.
John Groce is in his fifth year at the helm of the Illinois program and has guided the squad to three postseason appearances and a pair of 20-win campaigns in his first four years.
Florida State was 20-14 last season, advancing to the second round of the NIT. The Seminoles return two of their top three scorers in Dwayne Bacon (15.8 ppg) and Xavier Rathan-Mayes (11.8 ppg) to a team that ranked third in the ACC in scoring (78.0 ppg). Last season, the Seminoles defeated NCAA Final Four participant Syracuse, dealt Notre Dame (who advanced to the NCAA Elite 8) its largest loss of the season and defeated ACC runner-up Virginia.
Florida State has recorded at least 20 wins eight times in head coach Leonard Hamilton's 14 years. FSU is also ranked 18th in the preseason poll by NBC Sports, 21st by the Sporting News and 23rd in the most recent preseason poll by Eamonn Brennan of ESPN.com.
New Hampshire was 20-13 a year ago – its first 20-win season in school history - and made the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), while Manhattan was 13-18, but has made three postseason appearances in the last four years.
Detroit Mercy will be led by senior guard
Chris Jenkins and junior forward
Jaleel Hogan. Head coach and former Titan standout
Bacari Alexander '99 is in his first year as head coach of the red, white and blue. The Titans return eight players from last season and welcome a highly-touted recruiting class to campus featuring five freshmen and three transfers.
To purchase season tickets and for all information on tickets for the 2016-17 season, contact Director of Ticket Operations & Sales
Kendall Acho at 313-993-1700 ext. 7301 or at
achokm@udmercy.edu.
ESPN Release
ESPN Events revealed the full schedule for the 2016 NIT Season Tip-Off, including four championship-round games at Barclays Center and 12 non-bracketed games held at campus sites. Detroit, Manhattan, New Hampshire and Winthrop join previously announced Florida State, Illinois, Temple and West Virginia to round out the eight-team field.
Each team will play four games as part of the event. Florida State, Illinois, Temple and West Virginia will each host two games in addition to the bracketed portion in Brooklyn, N.Y., where Barclays Center will host a Thanksgiving afternoon semifinal doubleheader of Temple vs. Florida State, followed by Illinois vs. West Virginia on Thursday, Nov. 24. All four teams will return to action on Friday, Nov. 25, when a championship will be awarded.
Detroit (Horizon League), Manhattan (MAAC), New Hampshire (America East) and Winthrop (Big South) will each host one game in addition to three road contests.
Tickets for the championship rounds of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center are on sale now and can be purchased via Ticketmaster by visiting www.barclayscenter.com, or www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Groups can purchase tickets by calling 855-GROUP-BK.
Now in its second year at Barclays Center, the NIT Season Tip-Off has been played in New York each November since 1985. Defending NCAA National Champion Villanova won the event in 2015.
The NIT Season Tip-Off is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. For more information, please visit the event's official website at www.nitseasontipoff.com.
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; 13 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.
