Bradley University Athletics

Pairings Announced for Islands of the Bahamas Showcase

Tournament Website

Men's Basketball 9/29/2017 1:00:00 PM

The field for the inaugural Islands of the Bahamas Showcase was unveiled on Friday with the Bradley men's basketball team opening the eight-team tournament against Vermont.

Bradley and Vermont open the tournament at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 17. The Catamounts won a school-record 29 games last season and finished with the first perfect 16-0 record in America East history before advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

Overall, the eight-team field includes three NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago with five of the programs earning at least 20 victories in 2016-17. The Braves will play either Coastal Carolina or UTSA on Saturday, Nov. 18, while Northern Kentucky, James Madison, Iona and Weber State are on the other side of the bracket and will match up with Bradley on Sunday, Nov. 19.

Bradley has only played the seven other teams in the field a combined one time in school history with Weber State posting a 68-46 win at the 2001 Dr. Pepper Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

All 12 games will be played at Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium in Nassau, Bahamas with games slotted for 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. CT start times. Sunday's championship game will tip at 7 p.m. CT.

"We are excited to partner with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, National Sports Authority and Bahamas Basketball Federation to bring this tournament to Nassau," said bd Global President Brooks Downing. "The participating teams and traveling fans will be blown away by the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, our official tournament headquarters, and the vibrant blue waters on Cable Beach. The action on the court will be tremendous given this field includes five teams that won 20 games last season and numerous conference champs."

All-session passes are now on sale at www.thebahamasshowcase.com and are good for entry to any of the 12 games of the event. Fans can also book rooms at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar at the tournament rate, starting at $189 nightly, by visiting www.thebahamasshowcase.com.

Bradley will also host Missouri S&T as part of the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase with the schools meeting at Carver Arena on Nov. 22.

The Braves finished the 2016-17 season among the top 25 most improved teams in the nation, winning eight more games last year compared to the 2015-16 campaign. Bradley returns 11 letterwinners and all five starters next season, including 96.8 percent of its points, 95.8 percent of its rebounds and 98.4 percent of its assists.

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