College seniors to compete for $100,000 in 3-on-3 national championship at Final Four | Zagsblog
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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Thursday / March 28.
  • College seniors to compete for $100,000 in 3-on-3 national championship at Final Four

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    This Final Four promises to be unlike any before.

    First off, 24 of the top players in the Class of 2019 have been invited to attend the Final Four in San Antonio, and compete in games in the Alamodome, as first reported by ZAGSBLOG. The NCAA will be paying for their airfare and hotel rooms and the players — again, high school players — will be provided tickets to the Final Four.

    Second, for the first time ever, college players will be paid during an event at the Final Four. Intersport announced a partnership with Dos Equis to become the Title Sponsor of the inaugural 3X3U National Championship. This ground-breaking new event will pit 32 four-man teams representing every Division I college basketball conference against each other in a three day, 3-on-3 tournament.

    These teams, comprised of seniors who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility, will compete for a $100,000 prize pool viewable live on Twitter and ESPN2 from Friday, March 30 through Sunday, April 1, 2018 at St. Mary’s University’s Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio.

    “The Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship will be the most interesting basketball tournament ever, spanning three days of fast-paced games, starring some of the top college players in the country,” said Quinn Kilbury, Senior Brand Director at Dos Equis. “While this is the inaugural Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, Dos Equis actually has an over 2,000 year association with the game. In ancient Mexico, warriors would play 3-on-3 with the winners receiving Dos Equis. And as the official beer, Dos Equis is determined to ensure this is the most interesting sporting event of 2018, and that fans will have an epic experience to share with friends over an ice cold Dos Equis.”

    The Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship will begin on Friday, March 30 with 24 pool play games streamed live on Twitter from 7 p.m.-12 a.m. EST and will continue on Saturday, March 31 with another 24 pool play games streamed live on Twitter from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. EST. The event will conclude on Sunday, April 1 with the quarterfinals broadcast live on Twitter from 2-3 p.m. EST and the semifinals and best-of-three championship series broadcast live on ESPN2 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. EST.

    “Sports fans on Twitter are highly proactive, engaged, and receptive to discovering something new — especially when its basketball being played at a high level,” said Andrew Barge, Head of US Sports Broadcast Partnerships at Twitter. “This franchise represents our continued commitment to innovation and experimentation, while delivering unique, premium content to sports fans on Twitter. We’re excited to work with Intersport and introduce 3X3U to our basketball-obsessed audience.”

    Every game of the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship matters as money will be on the line at all times throughout the competition. Participants will compete for a $100,000 prize pool that will be distributed as follows:

    • Each pool play win will earn the team $1,000.
    • A quarterfinal win will earn the team $1,000.
    • A semifinal win will earn the team $1,000.
    • The team that wins the championship will earn $50,000.

    Each team roster will be comprised of four eligible seniors from the same Division I college basketball conference. Teams will be organized into eight pools of four and each team will be guaranteed three pool play games. The Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship Player Selection Committee consists of college basketball experts from a wide range of media outlets including ESPN, CBS Sports, The Athletic, USA Today, NBC Sports, The Ringer, and more. The Committee will work feverishly throughout the season to determine the nation’s top senior college basketball players who will be nominated to compete. They announced an early-season watch list in December, with a new and updated version through conference play coming in February. The final rosters will be revealed through a series of studio shows streamed live on Twitter once a day from Monday, March 26 through Thursday, March 29.

    “We are so excited to be collaborating with Twitter, ESPN and our Title Sponsor Dos Equis on this one-of-a-kind venture,” said Drew Russell, Intersport’s Vice President of Sports Properties. “We love the fast-paced nature of 3-on-3 and how it coincides with current trends in digital and social media consumption. For fans, this will be an opportunity to see the nation’s top seniors compete in the rapidly growing 3-on-3 format. For players, it will be one last opportunity to showcase their skills on a national stage and give them the chance to earn a significant sum of money. It will also expose them to the 3-on-3 format which may lead to new opportunities as they take the next step in their professional careers.”

    To further amplify the ongoing conversation around college basketball leading up to the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship coverage, an Intersport-produced show named “The Heat Check” will be broadcast live on Twitter three times each week starting Monday, Feb. 12. The show will take a look at who’s hot and who’s not on and off the court in college basketball, in addition to featuring interviews with players, college basketball media members and personalities. “The Heat Check” will present an alternative take on the sport with fun, sharable content designed to be interactive and serve as a source of further analysis and information for college hoops and the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship.

    Tickets for the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship are on sale now and start at just $15 with multi-day and group packages available. The first 300 fans to purchase tickets will be available at 33% off, so reserve your seat now to be a part of the most interesting experience in college basketball.

    For more information on the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, including buying tickets, event updates, details and rules, please follow us on Twitter, @3X3UHoops, or visit www.3X3UHoops.com.

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    Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

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