University of Memphis Athletics
Tournament Field Released For Play4Kay Shootout
Sep 12, 2017 | Women's Basketball
The Tigers open up play against Big 10 Champion Ohio State on Nov. 23
LAS VEGAS – The field has been announced for the second annual Play4Kay Shootout in Las Vegas, Nev. and the University of Memphis women's basketball team will open up play against Big 10 Champion Ohio State on Nov. 23. This is the first time that Memphis will be competing in the Play4Kay Shootout.
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"It is an honor to be among a great tournament field at the Play4Kay Shootout," said head coach Melissa McFerrin. "This field is an elite NCAA tournament field. Our aspirations for this team are to be among those teams at season's end so this gives us an opportunity to experience that level of competition and to also prepare our bodies and minds for the rigors of that challenge."
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Six teams that participated in last season's NCAA Women's Tournament will be among the eight-team field for the Play4Kay Shootout on Nov. 23-25, 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The event supports the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, an organization that funds women's cancer research, and will immediately follow the MGM Resorts Main Event men's tournament earlier that week at T-Mobile Arena. The field and pairings for the tournament were released Thursday by the event's organizer, bd Global (www.bdglobalsports.com).
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"This year's Play4Kay Shootout is the absolute best tournament in the country during the early part of the season," said bd Global president Brooks Downing. "With top-10 caliber teams such as Stanford and Ohio State headlining this field, it will be a March preview of the teams that many expect will contend for the national championship."
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The field for the tournament features:
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Debbie Antonelli, an ESPN television analyst who will serve as the Tournament Director, said, "I am proud to say that I played for Coach Yow at NC State and it is an honor to host a tournament such as this in her name. The field that we will see in Vegas is un-matched until you get to March and the play on the floor will be tremendous. Most importantly, however, the event supports a great cause that is fighting this terrible disease."
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The schedule for the opening round of the women's tournament on Thursday, Nov. 23 is as follows:
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Consolation games will be played Friday, Nov. 24 at 12:30 p.m./3:00 p.m. followed by the semifinals at 5:30 p.m./8:00 p.m. Saturday's championship game will be at 8:00 p.m. PT.
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The tournament promotes the Play4Kay initiative, a grassroots fundraising campaign for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Play4Kay's primary fundraising support comes from women's basketball teams across the country that dedicate games throughout the season to raise funds and awareness for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The charity was founded in 2007 from the vision of the organization's namesake Kay Yow, a former N.C. State head women's basketball coach who endured three bouts with breast cancer. Despite the disease, she coached for 38 years, recording more than 700 wins, making 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 trips to the Sweet 16 and a Final Four berth in 1998. In 1988, she coached the United States to an Olympic gold medal. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 before succumbing to the disease on January 24, 2009. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund has since raised more than $5.28 million for women's cancer research and to assist the underserved. For her achievements on and off the court, Coach Yow is enshrined in both the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
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For complete information, visit www.play4kayshootout.com or follow on Twitter at @NeonHoops.
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"It is an honor to be among a great tournament field at the Play4Kay Shootout," said head coach Melissa McFerrin. "This field is an elite NCAA tournament field. Our aspirations for this team are to be among those teams at season's end so this gives us an opportunity to experience that level of competition and to also prepare our bodies and minds for the rigors of that challenge."
Â
Six teams that participated in last season's NCAA Women's Tournament will be among the eight-team field for the Play4Kay Shootout on Nov. 23-25, 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The event supports the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, an organization that funds women's cancer research, and will immediately follow the MGM Resorts Main Event men's tournament earlier that week at T-Mobile Arena. The field and pairings for the tournament were released Thursday by the event's organizer, bd Global (www.bdglobalsports.com).
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"This year's Play4Kay Shootout is the absolute best tournament in the country during the early part of the season," said bd Global president Brooks Downing. "With top-10 caliber teams such as Stanford and Ohio State headlining this field, it will be a March preview of the teams that many expect will contend for the national championship."
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The field for the tournament features:
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- Belmont – 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Champions (27-6 record)
- DePaul – 2017 Big East Champions (27-8)
- FGCU – 2017 A-Sun Champions (26-9)
- Gonzaga – 2017 West Coast Conference Champions (26-7)
- Kent State – 2017 MAC East Champions (19-13)
- Memphis – 14-16 record last season
- Ohio State – 2017 Big Ten Champions (28-7)
- Stanford – 2017 NCAA Final Four (32-6)
Debbie Antonelli, an ESPN television analyst who will serve as the Tournament Director, said, "I am proud to say that I played for Coach Yow at NC State and it is an honor to host a tournament such as this in her name. The field that we will see in Vegas is un-matched until you get to March and the play on the floor will be tremendous. Most importantly, however, the event supports a great cause that is fighting this terrible disease."
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The schedule for the opening round of the women's tournament on Thursday, Nov. 23 is as follows:
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- 12:30 p.m. PT – DePaul vs. FGCU
- 3:00 p.m. PT – Ohio State vs. Memphis
- 5:30 p.m. PT – Stanford vs. Kent State
- 8:00 p.m. PT – Gonzaga vs. Belmont
Consolation games will be played Friday, Nov. 24 at 12:30 p.m./3:00 p.m. followed by the semifinals at 5:30 p.m./8:00 p.m. Saturday's championship game will be at 8:00 p.m. PT.
Â
The tournament promotes the Play4Kay initiative, a grassroots fundraising campaign for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Play4Kay's primary fundraising support comes from women's basketball teams across the country that dedicate games throughout the season to raise funds and awareness for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The charity was founded in 2007 from the vision of the organization's namesake Kay Yow, a former N.C. State head women's basketball coach who endured three bouts with breast cancer. Despite the disease, she coached for 38 years, recording more than 700 wins, making 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 trips to the Sweet 16 and a Final Four berth in 1998. In 1988, she coached the United States to an Olympic gold medal. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 before succumbing to the disease on January 24, 2009. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund has since raised more than $5.28 million for women's cancer research and to assist the underserved. For her achievements on and off the court, Coach Yow is enshrined in both the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
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For complete information, visit www.play4kayshootout.com or follow on Twitter at @NeonHoops.
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