University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Returning To Las Vegas Invitational
June 1, 2011 | Men's Basketball
June 1, 2011
LAS VEGAS - The 11th annual Las Vegas Invitational is pleased to announce their lineup for the 2011 tournament, which includes the University of North Carolina for a second time. This year's field may be the best in its 11-year history in Las Vegas.
UNLV will participate in the event for the first time in tournament history The field also includes Carolina, the 2007 Las Vegas Invitational champion, plus the University of South Carolina, University of Southern California, Morgan State University, Tennessee State University, Mississippi Valley State, and Cal. State Poly.
The Tar Heels (29-8) return to Las Vegas ranked No. 1 in the 2011-12 preseason by ESPN.com analyst Andy Katz. North Carolina returns all five starters from its Elite 8 run in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, including senior forward Tyler Zeller (15.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg), junior forward John Henson (11.7 ppg, 10.1 rpg) and sophomore forward Harrison Barnes (15.7 ppg).
The Runnin' Rebels of UNLV (24-9) and first-year head coach Dave Rice return 4 starters, including senior forward Chace Stanback (13.0 ppg), the team's returning leading scorer. Alongside Stanback is the backcourt duo of senior Oscar Bellfield (11.2 ppg) and junior Anthony Marshall (9.7 ppg).
USC (19-15) returns two starters with the backcourt duo of senior Jio Fontan (10.5 ppg) and sophomore Maurice Jones (9.9 ppg). USC will also have the services next season of forward Dewayne Dedmon and forward Aaron Fuller, who transferred to USC and practiced with the Trojans last season.
The Gamecocks (14-16) return seven letterwinners, including returning starters, redshirt-senior forward Malik Cooke (9.4ppg, 6.4 rpg), junior forward Lakeem Jackson (7.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and sophomore forward Damontre Harris (3.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg), to the court next season.
Each team will play four games -- the first two at campus sites and the final two rounds at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on November 25th and 26th.
Tickets for the final rounds in Las Vegas can be purchased at the UNC athletic ticket office (1-800-722-HEEL or TarHeelBlue.com) or by calling the Box Office at the Orleans Arena (702) 284-7777, or on the web at OrleansArena.com.
