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NCAA college basketball teams return to The Orleans27 October 2017(PRESS RELEASE) -- The action-packed NCAA basketball tournament, Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational, will return to The Orleans Arena on 23-24 November. The college basketball teams participating in this year's early season tournaments include Xavier University, Kansas State University, Arizona State University, George Washington University, Hampton University, Rider University, University of California, Irvine and Northern Arizona University. By consensus, Xavier University has been named the pre-season Top 25 team again for the 2017-2018 season. Head coach Chris Mack has six returning letter winners, including four returning starters that reached the 2017 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. The returning starters include senior All-American candidate and two-time First Team All-Big East selection Trevon Bluiett, who made the NCAA Tournament All-Region Team. Xavier University also adds a star-studded recruiting class that is ranked top 10 in the country by several sports experts. Kansas State University, led by sixth-year head coach Bruce Weber, returns nine lettermen, including four players with starting experience from a team that won 21 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five seasons. The Wildcats will be led in 2017-2018 by juniors Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade, who each started all 35 games as sophomores in the 2016-2017 season. The trio averages better than nine points per game with 39 or more three-pointers. The Arizona State University (ASU) Sun Devils, led by third-year head coach Bobby Hurley, will bring a pair of a 1,000-point career scorers as guards Tra Holder and Shannon Evans return with fellow senior Kodi Justice. Best known for being one of last season's best free throw shooting teams in college history, ASU will welcome six newcomers to the team that has become one of the best scoring Sun Devil squads in 20 seasons, averaging 78.6 points per game. During the 2016-2017 season, George Washington University reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive season, advancing to the second round of the College Basketball Invitational. George Washington University is set to return four players who started 10 or more games last season, led by senior guard Yuta Watanabe, who was second on the team in scoring and rebounding, earning Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team honors. Graduate student forward Patrick Steeves and two sophomores in forward Arnaldo Toro and guard Jair Bolden will also return to the team, along with nine newcomers to the program. Each team will play four games, the first two at campus sites and the final two at the Orleans Arena. The first game the season is $50 plus taxes and fees and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000, by going online or by visiting the gift shops inside The Orleans, Suncoast Hotel and Casino, Gold Coast Hotel and Casino and Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall. Tickets may also be purchased the day of the game (depending on availability) at the venue box office. |