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The Great Alaska Shootout

F

forestgreen

Moderator
Staff member
Hoops hoopla!

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/8836500/Hoops-hoopla!

For 30 years, Thanksgiving in Anchorage has given Alaskans a feast beyond the dinner table: The Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout. The annual college basketball tournament, hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage, has brought a buffet of big-time basketball names into town from legendary coaches Bobby Knight to Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski to future NBA stars Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen.

A quick look at the field for the 2008 Shootout reveals a dearth of the big-name squads that local hoops fans have grown accustomed to. Nowhere to be found are the Dukes, Kentuckys, North Carolinas and Indianas and with them the future stars that donned those tradition-rich uniforms. It's a little like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade without Snoopy or Mickey Mouse leading the way.
But just because there aren't the headliners of the past doesn't mean there won't be great basketball being played at Sullivan Arena next week. Let's not forget that the Shootout is still Alaska's only opportunity to see Division I hoops, and having no clear-cut tournament favorite might make the four-day event even more exciting.

While officials at UAA have admitted that a proliferation of early-season tournaments is making it harder to attract the biggest names, rest assured that after 30 years of assembling loaded fields, they know a thing or two about putting quality teams on the floor.

For every Arizona and Kansas that flew up before, there were teams less familiar to casual college fans that ended up impressing in Anchorage. Those teams can easily turn out to be Cinderella stories when March Madness rolls around as Gonzaga, Butler, the College of Charleston and Western Kentucky have shown in the past.

A closer look at the 2008 field shows some of that potential.

Portland State and Hampton bring back all their key performers and are favored to win their respective conferences. Louisiana Tech and San Diego State are loaded with transfers from bigger programs along with talented returning scorers and appear to be on the rise. Northern Illinois, Seattle and Western Carolina are unknown quantities at this point.

The lesser-known field might open the door for your hometown Seawolves, though. UAA, led by head coach Rusty Osborne, is coming off one of the best seasons in school history that ended just one win shy of a NCAA Divison II title game appearance. A Shootout title for the Seawolves, who have pulled off 28 wins over the tourney's history, would be nearly as sweet.

And let's not forget about the women.

The women's Shootout opens things up and should be as exciting as ever with Cal State Northridge, Jackson State and Syracuse looking to start the season on the right foot. While the Big East's Orange look strong, two-time defending champion UAA, fresh off a run to the Division II Final Four like the Seawolf men, might have to be considered the favorite. Coach Tim Moser's squad went 30-5 in 2007-08 and will be led by All-American Rebecca Kielpinski.

So after stuffing in the turkey, get off your duffs and consider this year's Shootout an early Christmas present. You don't know what exactly you're going to get, but as the 31st edition of the tournament unwraps you'll get plenty of dunks, buzzer-beaters and upsets along the way.

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Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout

When: various times Tuesday through Nov. 29

Where: Sullivan Arena

How much: $20-$35, ticketmaster.com

Web: goseawolves.com

Tournament tip-off times

Women's games

Tuesday, First Round 6 p.m.: Cal State Northridge vs. Alaska Anchorage 8 p.m.: Jackson State vs. Syracuse

Wednesday

2:30 p.m.: Third-place game 5 p.m.: Championship

Men's games

Wednesday, First Round 7:30 p.m.: Hampton vs. Alaska Anchorage 9:45 p.m.: Portland State vs. Northern Illinois

Thursday, First Round 5 p.m.: Seattle vs. Louisiana Tech 7:30 p.m.: San Diego State vs. Western Carolina

Nov. 28, Consolation Semifinals Noon: HU/UAA loser vs. PSU/NIU loser 2 p.m.: SU/La Tech loser vs. SDSU/WCU loser Semifinals 5:30 p.m.: HU/UAA loser vs. PSU/NIU winner 8 p.m.: SU/La Tech loser vs. SDSU/WCU winner

Nov. 29 Noon: 7th/8th place game 2 p.m.: 4th/6th place game 5:30 p.m.: 3rd/5th place game 8 p.m.: Championship

On TV

All games on KCFT, Channel 19.

6 p.m. Tuesday: Alaska Anchorage women vs. Cal State Northridge

2:30 or 5 p.m. Wednesday: Alaska Anchorage women vs. Syracuse or Jackson State

7:30 p.m. Wednesday: Alaska Anchorage men vs. Hampton

5:30 p.m. Nov. 28: Men's Semifinal No. 1

8 p.m. Nov. 28: Men's Semifinal No. 2 8 p.m. Nov. 29: Men's cham-pionship
 
http://www.bigskyfans.com/2008/11/24/great-alaska-shootout-round-1-portland-state-vs-northern-illinois

The first game should be interesting, but the Viks should win and set up an interesting match-up with Hampton, another team picked to win its conference.
 
North To Alaska: 3-0 Vikings Play In The Great Alaska Shootout

http://www.goviks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?temp_site=NO&DB_OEM_ID=19300&ATCLID=3622586
 
Thanks to Oldvanport at the other board. He alerted people that big sky tv will be covering the games, so if you stay up late, you can watch them.
 
Here's the link to the Anchorage Daily News and their Shootout web site...

http://www.adn.com/sports/shootout/

Hope PSU plays well. If we can pick up a number of wins and progress as a team, it will help our RPI.
 
Still tired from listening to the game last night/this morning. Go Viks!!!!!!

Vikings defeat NIU, improve to 4-0

http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2008/11/vikings_defeat_niu_improve_to.html
 
Couldn't see the men's game, but could see the women's, which was a pleasure to watch. Both teams are winning. We should beat Hampton Friday. They have a couple of 6'10"s, but they're sophomores and freshmen. Our experience should win out - if we don't get too confident. How about Andre Murray! Bone's got the team playing AS a team - four players in double figures. Only injury is to Dominguez thus far, and providentially we've got Waters to take his place. Donatis is still on the bench. He'll be hard to work into the rotation, with the team playing so well at this point. Alaska is proving to be a great warm up to conference play. The Oregonian gave the Ducks and Beavers a full story - they both lost. We got a nothing story by Beseda. That'll change as the season wears on. Maybe.
 
Vikings dominate Huskies, advance to 2nd round as winners

http://www.shootout.net/article.php?id=6


Vikings Rout Northern Illinois In Great Alaska Shootout Opener

http://www.goviks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?temp_site=NO&DB_OEM_ID=19300&ATCLID=3624260


Vikings defeat NIU, improve to 4-0

http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2008/11/vikings_defeat_niu_improve_to.html
 
According to Beseda's story, Dominguez injured his index finger on his shooting hand during the Portland game. Must be so - can't imagine him hitting only two points otherwise. Hope it's just jammed - he'll only be out, so to speak, for a week or two. Waters is able to tke up the slack meantime.
 
dmg said:
WiViking said:
...the other board.
Click to expand...
link to this board?
Click to expand...
oregonlive.com/forums/vikings

As to the Dominguez injury, he has been playing through it since the Portland game--and walking around with bags of ice on his hand after practice. He also has been unhappy with the way it has effected his shooting, and seems to hold it and grimace a lot on the bench. The lesser opponents after Alaska should give him time to rest it. I hadn't heard anything about him being held out of future games.
 
I agree that Dominguez doesn't look like his shooting touch is there because of the finger, but he is still contributes a ton. Some of which doesn't show in stat lines.

Against Fullerton, which was after the injury, there were numerous times in the 2nd half when Fullerton wasn't able to inbound the ball because he was full court pressing and denied the guard from getting the inbound pass. I remember one 5 second call, one where they were forced into a timeout, and one were he got a steal. And that was in a one point game.

Go Viks
 
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