Spartan Hoops Will Kick Off Season With Midnight Madness
10/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 14, 2008
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate men's and women's basketball teams will host their second Midnight Madness in the Division I era on Monday, Oct. 20 at 10:30 p.m. at the Hodge Center. The kickoff extravaganza will not only feature introductions of both the men's and women's teams as well as full-court scrimmages among the teams, but will also feature free pizza and refreshments, 500 free T-shirts, a live DJ, a slam dunk contest and a performance by hip-hop performance team Tantrum. Admission to the event is free.
Last season, an overflow crowd of 1,700 packed the Hodge Center for Midnight Madness, greeting the first Upstate DI basketball teams. This season, fans will have even more reason to pack the Hodge, as USC Upstate begins its second year in Division I with the men's and women's teams most-highly anticipated recruiting classes in school history.
The Spartan men, under seventh-year head coach Eddie Payne, will give the Hodge Center fans a preview of a team that once again faces one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the country, with Georgia, South Carolina, Boston College and Notre Dame among the places Upstate will travel this year.
The Spartan women, under fourth-year head coach Tammy George, are just two years removed from a team that made the NCAA Division II Tournament. Like the men, the women, in their second year in Division I have a tough schedule that features trips to power conference schools like Virginia Tech and South Carolina.
The Upstate marketing and promotions department will also have giveaways featuring bookstore vouchers, IPods and Charlotte Bobcats tickets.
