LSU set to face Pittsburgh in Greenbrier Tip-Off
BATON ROUGE – LSU faces Pittsburgh in the opening matchup of the Mountain Division of the inaugural Greenbrier Tip-Off as announced on Thursday by Intersport, the owner and operator of the Greenbrier Tip-Off.
“We’re exceptionally proud of the fields we have put together for the inaugural Greenbrier Tip-Off,” said Mark Starsiak, vice president of basketball at Intersport. “To have the caliber of programs that will be joining us for the first year of this event speaks volumes of the potential of the Greenbrier Tip-Off going forward. And as we look toward November, we anticipate two weekends full of competitive matchups that will provide a springboard for these eight programs into the new year. The experience will be unmatched for both the programs and their fans, not only on the court but off the court as well.”
LSU and Pittsburgh have some basketball history, but it is not recent. The teams have played four times, the last in 1969 when the Pete Maravich-led Tigers were able to score a 120-79 win in the Parker Agricultural Center on campus.
The games will be played at the famed Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia on Nov. 22 and 24. Colonial Hall will be the site of the games at the famous resort.
The Tigers added three four-star transfers in point guard Jordan Sears, guard Dji Bailey, and guard Cam Carter. Matt McMahon’s squad also added a junior college big man, Noah Boyde.
LSU and Pitt will meet at 1:30 p.m. CT on Nov. 22 with Wisconsin and Central Florida to meet at approximately 4 p.m. CT.
The division’s third-place game and championships contest will take place at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. CT, respectively, on Nov. 24.
The teams first played in April 1935 in the American Legion Bowl in Atlantic City, New Jersey in what was billed as the national championship game between the two best teams in the country. Sparky Wade led the Tigers to a 41-37 triumph.
The series is tied at 2-2 as Pittsburgh won games in 1936 in New Orleans and 1962 in Miami.
LSU and Wisconsin have met four times with the Badgers winners in all four contests, the last an NCAA Sweet 16 game in 2000 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. LSU and Central Florida have not met previously in basketball.
The River Division of the tournament which features UTRGV, Tennessee Tech, VMI and Charleston Southern will take place in the same location on Nov. 15 and 16. LSU will host one of those teams in a home game the week of the Greenbrier event at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Travel packages are currently the only way to guarantee tickets to the inaugural Greenbrier Tip-Off. Packages are now available for fans looking to join their favorite team at America’s Resort and can be secured by visiting www.greenbriertipoff.com/travel. Packages will include game tickets, good for each Division-specific contest, accommodations at the resort, slot play vouchers, free drink tickets and more at the historic resort. Ticket-only packages, based on availability, will go on sale in the fall.
