College Basketball: 2005 Great Alaska Shootout

[JohnBM01]

GTPlanet, let's look at a basketball tournament with no known college football teams, so you will have never heard of anyone out of Alaska... until now. GTPlanet, it's time for a match in America's 49th State, Alaska.

INTRODUCTION

Alaska is America's Lost Frontier. Once you're done crossing through British Columbia and Yukon, you enter the state of Alaska. Alaska is the largest state in America. While everything is bigger in Texas, everything is... somewhat bigger in Alaska- even basketball. Once again, the University of Alaska-Anchorage of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (Division 2) will host this annual exhibition tournament. The arena is Sullivan Arena. If you follow college football, there is absoultely no football team at Alaska-Anchorage. If you follow college hockey, you may know a bit about the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves. What you will find is a pretty good basketball team in the Great Northwest in a nice arena. A number of teams will enter this tourney in an attempt to make some noise in the nation.

Let's get it on. Ring the bell.

 

[JohnBM01]

2005 GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT QUARTERFINALS

"SoCal Ballers" Southern California vs. Oral Roberts ---GAS Quarterfinal---
While Southern Cal's football program is poised and prime to play in their home state in the Rose Bowl, let's see if the Men's Basketball team is as incredible as their football program. Well, if you're new to college basketball, you would be absolutely WRONG about if they are as dominant. The Trojans aren't exactly a world power in college basketball nowadays or even in the past. The boys from Los Angeles, CA carry the pride of LA in a place with less traffic, less smog, and much fewer known celebrities- Anchorage, AK. They went on a field trip to a zoo in Anchorage and stumbled across a cute bunch of Golden Eagles. The Trojans asked the zoo people "can we play basketball against the Golden Eagles? Pretty please?" The guy says, "you got it! Straight out of Tulsa, OK, the Golden Eagles will be on display." And here we are. While the story may be cheesy and untrue, this game is a fight to be in the Finals and win the damn thing. The Golden Eagles were golden at the half, leading 43-21. Even the ESPN2 Halftime Report was joking that USC needed Reggie Bush from the football team! Oral Roberts, whose team logo looks more like one of Foghorn Leghorn's children or younger brothers looked dead serious to win it all and meet the winner of East Washington/Marquette. (68-48; Oral Roberts)

 

[JohnBM01]

"Ice Princes" South Carolina vs. Alaska-Anchorage ---GAS Quarterfinal---
Now, let me introduce you to the team you may have heard of before. South Carolina in football has been given a shot in the arm by Steve Spurrier. The Gamecocks didn't exactly win their division in conference, but have life again. South Carolina is no basketball slouch, as they are the defending champions of the NIT. Now let me introduce you to the team you may not know about. Meet the University of Alaska-Anchorage. UAA is part of the University of Alaska System which consists of the University of Alaska-Anchorage, the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and Alaska Pacific University in the state capital of Juneau. Only Anchorage and Fairbanks have known sports teams. Whereas Alaska-Fairbanks is home to the purple and white Nanooks, Alaska-Anchorage is home to the yellow and pine green Seawolves. The Seawolves offer the host site of this tournament that has been around since maybe the 1970s. Much like Chaminade to the Maui Invitational, Alaska-Anchorage is a Division 2 school hosting this tournament playing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). Defending NIT Champs meet a good Division 2 team. At the half, the spread was 10 in favor of the Gamecocks, but Alaska-Anchorage was looking for their first upset since beating Wake Forest 70-68 back in 1993. Halftime score was 31-21. Obviously close, hard basketball action inside and out. It looked like the upset was forthcoming, but Alaska-Anchorage played a great game despite this tough loss. (65-60; South Carolina)