(From Bradley University) – In a tournament that features three Power 5 schools and two NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, the Bradley men’s basketball team learned it will open against in-state foe Northwestern at the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off, announced by event organizer Intersport on Wednesday.
The second-annual event begins on November 25 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Florida with Kansas State and Pitt contesting the other semifinal. The championship and consolation games are set for two days later on November 27 with all four games televised live on FS1. Game times will be announced at a later date.
The two schools from the Land of Lincoln have met nine times in series history but are set to battle for the first time since 1985. Northwestern owns an 8-1 edge in the series – with six of the victories coming before the NCAA era began in 1938-39 – while Bradley claimed the last meeting 34 years ago, 76-72, at Carver Arena.
Bradley is 5-1 all-time against Pitt, including a victory in the 2006 NCAA Tournament Second Round in the schools’ last matchup, while posting a 2-3 record versus Kansas State.
The Braves are looking to replicate their regular-season tournament success from a season ago when they defeated Penn State of the Big Ten to claim the Cancun Challenge title – the school’s first crown since 1983.
Travel packages are now available for the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-off, which include tickets to each tournament game, hotel accommodations and parking at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. For complete travel package information, log on to www.fortmyerstipoff.com/travel. Ticket-only packages, based on availability, will become available in September.
In addition to its Cancun Challenge title in 2019, Bradley is coming off a season where it won its first Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in 31 years, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Braves return six letterwinners from their championship team – including their top three-scorers – to go along with seven newcomers.
