It will be the 44th annual, and it will feature three teams from last season's NCAA tournament -- and three teams picked to win their conferences this season.
UTEP, Alabama State, Princeton and Tulane will come together tonight and Tuesday for the 44th annual State Farm Sun Bowl Basketball Classic. UTEP and Alabama State will begin the tournament today, followed by Princeton and Tulane. The winners and losers will play Tuesday night.
"This is exactly the kind of field we love to have," tournament chairman Barry Kobren said. "We've got good basketball schools from diverse parts of the country -- an eastern school, two from the south and UTEP. Alabama State, Princeton and UTEP were all in the NCAA tournament last year, and all three are picked to win their conferences again this year. Tulane has a very good, young team."
UTEP comes into this tournament with the best record at 8-2. The Miners' quality win is against Arizona State, a team that is 8-1. Princeton is 5-3 against a very tough schedule. The Tigers lost 56-45 at Syracuse, 48-46 at Temple and 64-59 at Wyoming. Alabama State is 2-5, but it also has played a very difficult schedule. Three of the Hornets' losses were at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Tennessee. Tulane comes in at 4-4.
"I think one of the things that makes Tulane interesting is that they are in Conference USA," Kobren said. "They are a team UTEP will be playing many, many times in the future. They've been playing in the Sugar Bowl tournament for years, but they wanted to get away and be part of this one. Sean Finney, their coach, was a finalist for the UTEP job when they hired Jason Rabedeaux. Alabama State is coached by Rob Spivery, who was an assistant under Nolan Richardson. Rob comes back here for Nolan's golf tournament every year."
Princeton has a first-year coach, but one who is very familiar with this tournament. Joe Scott coached Air Force to this title in 2002 and was an assistant on the Princeton staff that won this tournament in 1996.
"It's our goal to play UTEP in the championship game, but we are focused on Tulane right now," Scott said. "We've played a very hard schedule, only one home game so far. We've got an experienced team, guys who have played a lot of games. We were tied with Syracuse with six minutes to go in the Dome. We're looking forward to the competition they have here. We're looking forward to playing a Conference USA team (Tulane) and we know that will be tough, then play another tough road game (UTEP). That's how you get good in February, playing competition like that."
Scott, who is a Princeton graduate, coached Air Force to the Mountain West Conference championship last year, leading the Falcons to a 22-7 record. Princeton won the Ivy League last year with a 20-8 mark.
Of course, UTEP will have to get past Alabama State to even have a shot at playing Princeton on Tuesday.
"We better be ready to play a good game," UTEP coach Doc Sadler said. "Not any of these tournaments around the country have three teams who were in the NCAA tournament last year. Alabama State will be all we can ask for. I've seen them play some zone against some very good teams and some man. They run a very athletic zone or man."
Spivery said, "I've seen a couple of tapes on them (the Miners). They got some very good athletes, some experienced players and they will be a handfull for us. We played Georgia Tech, Alabama and Tennessee and competed very well on the perimeter. Around the basket we had trouble. We are going to be smaller than most teams we play. We will play hard and we will hang in OK on defense. We just haven't been able to generate many points."
The Miners may be without junior Brent Murphy and freshman Stanley Branch. The two 6-foot-8 forwards missed Sunday's practice due to illness.
UTEP won this tournament last year, dismantling a good Rutgers team 94-68. It might have been the Miners' finest performance of the season, and it certainly was a game that helped the Western Athletic Conference co-champions get into the NCAA tournament. Obviously, UTEP is hoping to win this tournament for the 26th time and use it as a springboard into the WAC season -- which begins Jan. 1 at Boise State.
UTEP, Alabama State, Princeton and Tulane will come together tonight and Tuesday for the 44th annual State Farm Sun Bowl Basketball Classic. UTEP and Alabama State will begin the tournament today, followed by Princeton and Tulane. The winners and losers will play Tuesday night.
"This is exactly the kind of field we love to have," tournament chairman Barry Kobren said. "We've got good basketball schools from diverse parts of the country -- an eastern school, two from the south and UTEP. Alabama State, Princeton and UTEP were all in the NCAA tournament last year, and all three are picked to win their conferences again this year. Tulane has a very good, young team."
UTEP comes into this tournament with the best record at 8-2. The Miners' quality win is against Arizona State, a team that is 8-1. Princeton is 5-3 against a very tough schedule. The Tigers lost 56-45 at Syracuse, 48-46 at Temple and 64-59 at Wyoming. Alabama State is 2-5, but it also has played a very difficult schedule. Three of the Hornets' losses were at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Tennessee. Tulane comes in at 4-4.
"I think one of the things that makes Tulane interesting is that they are in Conference USA," Kobren said. "They are a team UTEP will be playing many, many times in the future. They've been playing in the Sugar Bowl tournament for years, but they wanted to get away and be part of this one. Sean Finney, their coach, was a finalist for the UTEP job when they hired Jason Rabedeaux. Alabama State is coached by Rob Spivery, who was an assistant under Nolan Richardson. Rob comes back here for Nolan's golf tournament every year."
Princeton has a first-year coach, but one who is very familiar with this tournament. Joe Scott coached Air Force to this title in 2002 and was an assistant on the Princeton staff that won this tournament in 1996.
"It's our goal to play UTEP in the championship game, but we are focused on Tulane right now," Scott said. "We've played a very hard schedule, only one home game so far. We've got an experienced team, guys who have played a lot of games. We were tied with Syracuse with six minutes to go in the Dome. We're looking forward to the competition they have here. We're looking forward to playing a Conference USA team (Tulane) and we know that will be tough, then play another tough road game (UTEP). That's how you get good in February, playing competition like that."
Scott, who is a Princeton graduate, coached Air Force to the Mountain West Conference championship last year, leading the Falcons to a 22-7 record. Princeton won the Ivy League last year with a 20-8 mark.
Of course, UTEP will have to get past Alabama State to even have a shot at playing Princeton on Tuesday.
"We better be ready to play a good game," UTEP coach Doc Sadler said. "Not any of these tournaments around the country have three teams who were in the NCAA tournament last year. Alabama State will be all we can ask for. I've seen them play some zone against some very good teams and some man. They run a very athletic zone or man."
Spivery said, "I've seen a couple of tapes on them (the Miners). They got some very good athletes, some experienced players and they will be a handfull for us. We played Georgia Tech, Alabama and Tennessee and competed very well on the perimeter. Around the basket we had trouble. We are going to be smaller than most teams we play. We will play hard and we will hang in OK on defense. We just haven't been able to generate many points."
The Miners may be without junior Brent Murphy and freshman Stanley Branch. The two 6-foot-8 forwards missed Sunday's practice due to illness.
UTEP won this tournament last year, dismantling a good Rutgers team 94-68. It might have been the Miners' finest performance of the season, and it certainly was a game that helped the Western Athletic Conference co-champions get into the NCAA tournament. Obviously, UTEP is hoping to win this tournament for the 26th time and use it as a springboard into the WAC season -- which begins Jan. 1 at Boise State.
