3-on-3 college basketball tournament to be played at Mall of America
The Twin Cities is going to be a haven for sports fans during Final Four week, and it goes well beyond what's happening with the main event at U.S. Bank Stadium.
In addition to the college dunk contest and 3-point shootout taking place at Target Center, the second annual college basketball 3-on-3 tournament will be held at Mall of America April 5-7.
It's the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, which teams up seniors from Division I basketball conference in a tournament that features a $150,000 prize pool, including a $100,000 prize for the champions.
Last year, the Big Ten won the title with a team that included Minnesota's Nate Mason (now graduated), Indiana’s Robert Johnson, Purdue’s Vincent Edwards and Ohio State’s Jae’Sean Tate.
Every game during the tournament will be streamed on Twitter or televised on ESPN2.
Fans can watch the games for free at Mall of America from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on April 5-6, and from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on April 7.
The games will be played in the Rotunda at MOA where a half-court will be installed.
The four-player rosters for each team haven't been announced, but a late-season watch list includes eight players from each conference who will be picked from. The Big Ten's eight finalists include:
- Ethan Happ, F, Wisconsin
- C.J. Jackson, G, Ohio State
- Vic Law, F, Northwestern
- Juwan Morgan, F, Indiana
- Jordan Murphy, F, Minnesota
- James Palmer, G, Nebraska
- Dererk Pardon, C, Northwestern
- Glynn Watson Jr., G, Nebraska
Here's a list of some of all the basketball games and events you can check out, most of them for free, April basketball events and games happening during Final Four week.
Thursday, April 4
- 8 p.m. - College dunk contest, 3-point shootout at Target Center
Friday, April 5
- 10 a.m. - Final Four teams practice at U.S. Bank Stadium (free)
- 3 p.m. - 24 pool play games of the 3-on-3 tournament at Mall of America (free)
- 3:30 p.m. - College All-Star Game at U.S. Bank Stadium (free)
Saturday, April 6
- 9:30 a.m. - 24 pool play games of hte 3-on-3 tournament at Mall of America (free)
- Time TBD - Final Four games at U.S. Bank Stadium
Sunday, April 7
- 10:30 a.m. - Round of 16 and quarterfinal games of the 3-on-3 tourney at MOA (free)
- 3 p.m. - Semifinals, third place & title games of 3-on-3 tourney at MOA (free)
Monday, April 8
- Time TBD - National championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium.