UNCASVILLE, Conn. -  For the third time in the last nine seasons, the Vermont men's basketball team will participate in the 2019 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament presented by Citi. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame officially announced the field of teams and brackets on Wednesday. The annual NCAA men's exempt tournament, sponsored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
 
Teams scheduled to participate in this year's Tip-Off Tournament are Arizona State (Pac-12), Central Connecticut State (Northeast), Columbia (Ivy League), Rider (MAAC), St. John's (Big East), UMass (Atlantic 10), Vermont (America East) and defending national champion Virginia (ACC). The Catamounts will travel to St. John's on Saturday, Nov. 16 and Virginia on Tuesday, Nov. 19 for the campus round games. UVM will head to Mohegan Sun Arena to face Central Connecticut State on Saturday, Nov. 23 and either Columbia or Rider on Sunday, Nov. 24.

"The Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament continues to be one of the best early season events featuring outstanding programs in a tremendous destination venue for fans," John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame, said.
 
General public tickets will go on sale Friday, Sept. 6 at 10 a.m. ET via all Ticketmaster outlets and the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office. Pre-sales for participating schools will begin Monday (June 3). Neutral site game schedule, television details and an exclusive pre-sale opportunity via Citi will be released at a later date. For more information, please visit www.halloffametipoff.com.
 
Vermont will be featured in the tournament for the third time in school history. The Cats played in the tournament back in 2011, Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker's first season at the helm, and again in 2015. In 2011, UVM posted an 84-75 win over Marist but dropped an 80-75 decision to LIU Brooklyn at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Catamounts also faced South Florida in the season opener and Old Dominion in a pair of road games associated with the tournament setup. Four years later, UVM beat Niagara 85-67 but fell to Buffalo 77-71 in the finale. The Green and Gold also took on Purdue and Florida as a part of the campus site games.
 
"We are excited to participate in the Hall of Fame Tournament again this year," Becker said. "An opportunity to play the storied programs in St. John's and Virginia with the latter being the defending national champions. The Mohegan Sun is a world class facility and a great destination for the Catamount faithful."
 
Last season, UVM won its seventh America East crown as a part of a 27-win campaign, tied for the second-most in program history. After posting a 14-2 mark in conference play, the Cats captured the program's ninth America East regular season championship. Vermont is only one of eight Division I teams to record at least 11 consecutive 20-win seasons - Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Saint Mary's. During the non-conference slate, the Green and Gold matched a program record with 10 victories and completed a season sweep over the Atlantic 10 (George Washington, George Mason, and St. Bonaventure) for the first time ever. The Green and Gold return nearly 80 percent of their offensive production from 2018-19, including reigning America East Player of the Year Anthony Lamb (21.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg).
 
National Life Group is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball
 
2019 HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT BRACKETS

Naismith Bracket	Springfield Bracket
Arizona State	Central Conn. St.
St. John's	Columbia
UMass	Rider
Virginia	Vermont

 
2019 HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Saturday, Nov. 16 (Campus Sites)
Vermont at St. John's
 
Tuesday, Nov. 19 (Campus Sites)
Vermont at Virginia
 
Saturday, Nov. 23 @ Mohegan Sun Arena
Springfield Bracket
5 p.m. - Rider vs. Columbia
7:30 p.m. - Vermont vs. Central Connecticut St.

Naismith Bracket
12 P.M. - Arizona St. vs. St. John's
2:30 P.M. - Virginia vs. UMass
 
Sunday, Nov. 24 @ Mohegan Sun Arena
Springfield Bracket
6 P.M. - Consolation Game
8:30 P.M. - Championship Game
Naismith Bracket
1 P.M. - Consolation Game
3:30 P.M. - Championship Game