Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament: Day 2 crowd closes out another successful Tip-Off Tournament

By Zachary Baru

Day 2 of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic featured four games broadcast on the ESPN family of networks and a great crowd to witness the final day of the weekend-long tournament.  The announced attendance came after the second game which saw Providence top Notre Dame 75-74 before 6,513 fans.

UMass and Florida State lead off the day with a noon start televised live on ESPNU.  As this game was immediately followed by Providence-Notre Dame, attendance was announced after the second game.  A crowd of 6,000-plus fills out the 9,323-seat Mohegan Sun Arena enough to create good atmosphere, making the second day of the tournament another off-the-court success.

The 9,323-seat Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut

Staging the tournament at Mohegan Sun is greatly beneficial for the Hall of Fame, as the resort casino makes for a weekend getaway for fans coming to attend the tournament.  In addition to basketball, having Mohegan Sun as a venue allows fans more opportunities than just gaming, but also to dine at plenty of great restaurants, visit the Shops at Mohegan Sun, or even stay overnight at the hotel and spa.  

The eight-team, two-day tournament was played as the Tip-Off Classic between 1979 and 2005 at the Springfield Civic Center/MassMutual Center.  Having the tournament at Mohegan Sun allows fans to come from all over the region and enjoy all that the resort casino has to offer, making the Tip-Off Tournament more enticing to fans visiting from areas throughout the Northeast.

Zach Baru can be followed @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.  He also blogs for Sports Business Boston.

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