The field is set for the HBCU Tip-Off Championship, which will be held Nov. 8-11 at Philips Arena.
Four teams from Division I and four teams from Division II, including Morehouse, will participate in the inaugural event.
From Division I, Norfolk State, which went 21-12 overall and 16-0 in the MEAC last year, will be joined by a pair of teams from the SWAC, Texas Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Texas Southern was 17-14 overall, 16-2 in the conference last year. Arkansas-Pine Bluff was 16-14, 15-3 in the conference. Wisconsin-Green Bay, which is not a historically black college or university, rounds out the Division I field. They went 18-16, 10-6 in the Horizon League last year.
In addition to Morehouse on the Division II side are CIAA teams Virginia Union and Johnson C. Smith, and the SIAC’s Tuskegee.
“We are very excited to announce the field of teams for the inaugural HBCU Tip-Off,” organizer Kevin Clayton said. “We anticipate great excitement and fierce competition.”
Tickets will go on sale Aug. 26. The tournament website is hbcutipoff.com.
The schedule is to be released later this week. Clayton said that he is attempting to have Morehouse play in the tournament’s first game. It would be the first time an HBCU team has played at Philips.
In addition to the games, the HBCU Tip-Off Championship will include seminars and information on health and economic empowerment. Internships will be created to assist students from HBCUs in gaining real-life experience in the workplace. Scholarships will be created to assist Atlanta-area students in attending HBCUs.
About the Author
