Wednesday, June 29, 2016
by Alaska Anchorage Athletic Communications

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The University of Alaska Anchorage has announced the fields and brackets for the 2016 GCI Great Alaska Shootout, unveiling the 10 visiting teams for the 39th annual college basketball showcase.

The oldest continuously running in-season college basketball tournament in the nation, the Shootout will again feature an eight-team men’s field and four-team women’s field for this year’s tournaments, set for Nov. 22-26 at the Alaska Airlines Center.

CBS Sports Network will bring the Shootout to a national audience for the fifth straight year, with seven men’s games on the slate, starting with host Alaska Anchorage vs. Buffalo on Nov. 23.

The women open the action on Tues., Nov. 22 with defending Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion Missouri State against Pac-12 Conference foe Southern California, followed by defending NCAA Division II national runner-up Alaska Anchorage against Portland.

On the men’s side, Alaska Anchorage will meet two-time defending Mid-American Conference Tournament champ Buffalo, while Oakland will face Nevada in Wednesday’s opening-round affairs.  Thanksgiving evening will feature UC Davis against defending Big Sky Conference champion Weber State and Drake against defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament champ Iona.

“The 2016 GCI Great Alaska Shootout will continue its recent tradition of featuring the best mid-major programs in college basketball,” said UAA Athletic Director Keith Hackett. “With recent champions such as Butler, San Diego State, Murray State and Middle Tennessee, the Shootout has proven to be a launching pad for future success. We can’t wait to see who emerges this year.”

Overall, this year’s fields feature a combined five NCAA Tournament qualifiers (UAA and Missouri State women; Buffalo, Iona and Weber State men) and two other postseason qualifiers (Oakland and CBI champion Nevada). Eight of the 12 squads won at least 20 games in 2015-16 – including an NCAA DII-record 38 wins by the UAA women – while the men’s field averaged 19.2 victories.

Tip times for all games will be released later this summer.

To reserve full-tournament ticket packages – good for all 16 games – please call 907-786-7811 or email [email protected].

2016 GCI Great Alaska Shootout
Times TBA
WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT
Tuesday, Nov. 22 – First Round
Missouri State vs Southern California (GCI)
Portland vs Alaska Anchorage (GCI)

Wednesday, Nov. 23
3rd Place: MSU/USC loser vs UP/UAA loser (GCI)
Championship: MSU/USC winner vs UP/UAA winner (GCI)

MEN’S TOURNAMENT
Wednesday, Nov. 23 – First Round
Buffalo vs Alaska Anchorage (CBSSN/GCI)
Oakland vs Nevada (CBSSN)

Thursday, Nov. 24 – First Round
UC Davis vs Weber State (CBSSN)
Drake vs Iona (CBSSN)

Friday, Nov. 25 – Consolation Semis & Semifinals
Buffalo/UAA loser vs Oakland/Nevada loser (GCI)
UCD/Weber loser vs Drake/Iona loser (GCI)
Buffalo/UAA winner vs Oakland/Nevada winner (CBSSN)
UCD/Weber winner vs Drake/Iona winner (CBSSN)

Saturday, Nov. 26
7th/8th Place: Game 5 loser vs Game 6 loser (GCI)
4th/6th Place: Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner (GCI)
3rd/5th Place: Game 7 loser vs Game 8 loser (GCI)
Championship: Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner (CBSSN)