Two-Minute Drill: Players Championship, spring high school sports
The Players Championship takes place in Ponte Vedra Beach near Jacksonville this Thursday through Sunday; high school spring sports take center stage.
- UCF will play Oregon State in the first round of the College Basketball Crown.
- The inaugural 16-team tournament will be held in Las Vegas.
- The championship game will be played on April 6.
UCF officially accepted an invitation late Sunday to the inaugural College Basketball Crown, a 16-team postseason men’s basketball tournament in Las Vegas.
The Knights (17-16), who advanced to the second round of the Big 12 Tournament last week before falling to Kansas in overtime, will face Oregon State in a first-round game at 5:30 p.m. on April 1 inside MGM Grand Garden Arena. The bracket was revealed live Monday morning during FS1’s Breakfast Ball, a talk show hosted by Craig Carton, Danny Parkins and Mark Schlereth.
All first- and second-round games will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and be televised on FS1. Fox will broadcast the semifinals and the championship contest, all held at the T-Mobile Arena.
The Big 12, Big Ten and Big East were each guaranteed at least two bids into the College Basketball Crown field. In total, five Big 12 teams accepted invitations — UCF, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Colorado and Utah.
By comparison, only four teams from Power Four leagues and the Big East decided to participate in the National Invitation Tournament this season — Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, SMU and Stanford.
UCF took part in last year’s NIT, bounced in the opening round by rival South Florida. The Knights last qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
One potential complication for teams participating in the College Basketball Crown is the transfer portal. The window opens March 24, a full week before the tournament begins, and closes April 22.
College Basketball Crown bracket
First round — MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
- Utah vs. Butler, 3 p.m. March 31
- George Washington vs. Boise State, 5:30 p.m. March 31
- Nebraska vs. Arizona State, 8:30 p.m. March 31
- Georgetown vs. Washington State, 11:30 p.m. March 31
- DePaul vs. Cincinnati, 3 p.m. April 1
- Oregon State vs. UCF, 5:30 p.m. April 1
- Colorado vs. Villanova, 8:30 p.m. April 1
- Tulane vs. USC, 11 p.m. April 1
Quarterfinals — MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
- Utah-Butler winner vs. George Washington-Boise State winner, 7 p.m. April 2
- Nebraska-Arizona State winner vs. Georgetown-Washington State winner, 9:30 p.m. April 2
- DePaul-Cincinnati winner vs. Oregon State-UCF winner, 7 p.m. April 3
- Colorado-Villanova winner vs. Tulane-USC winner, 9:30 p.m. April 3
Semifinals — T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Semifinal #1, 1:30 p.m. April 5
- Semifinal #2, 4 p.m. April 5
Final — T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Championship game, 5:30 p.m. April 6
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