MILWAUKEE, June 14
The Princeton Tigers, North Dakota State Bison and Northwestern State Demons will join Marquette in completing the field for the 45th Pepsi Blue & Gold Classic. The 2006 edition of the classic, the nation’s third longest running in-season tournament, will be held December 1 and 2 at Bradley Center.
Tip times both days will be 5:30 and 8 p.m. Game match-ups have not yet been determined.
“I’m excited about the quality programs we’ve assembled for the classic,” said head coach Tom Crean. “Northwestern State is a great program and proved that to basketball fans across the country through their play in March. North Dakota State had a tremendous non-conference victory last January and will add some local flavor, and Princeton is synonymous with basketball success.”
Princeton, making its second appearance in the classic, defeated the Golden Eagles, 66-62, to win the 1996 tournament championship. The Tigers finished second in the Ivy League in 2005-06 with a 10-4 mark and return four of their top five scorers. A program steeped in tradition, the Tigers have won 35 Ivy League titles and made 23 NCAA Tournament appearances.
North Dakota State made national headlines in January by defeating the 15th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers, 62-55, at the Kohl Center. In their second season at the Division I level, the Bison return four of five starters from last year’s team which compiled a 16-12 overall record while competing as an independent. It is the first appearance in the classic for NDSU.
Northwestern State burst on the scene during March Madness thanks to a last second desperation three-point shot to defeat third-seeded Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Making their first appearance in the classic, the Demons won a school-record 25 games and the Southland Conference Tournament championship in 2005-06.
Celebrating its 45th year of play in December, the Pepsi Blue & Gold Classic has drawn over 825,000 basketball fans including a two-night classic record of 32,474 in 1995. The Golden Eagles have won the classic 29 times, including six of the last seven. College basketball greats such as Dave Cowens (Florida State), Gail Goodrich (UCLA) and Pete Maravich (LSU) have participated over the years. test
For more information on full season and five-game ticket plans for the 2006-07 Marquette basketball season call (414) 288-GOMU or log onto www.gomarquette.com.