Mar 5, 2014 | Entertainment, General News, Sports
UConn Wins Regular-Season Title
UConn earned the inaugural American regular-season title and clinched the #1 seed in the 2014 American Women’s Basketball Championship, to be held March 7th-10th at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. All 10 league teams will compete for the championship title and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The tournament field is based on regular-season league records. The highest six seeds earned byes into the quarterfinals on March 8th.
No. 1 UConn (31-0, 18-0 American) Clinched the conference regular-season title outright with a 68-48 win over Louisville on Monday. The Huskies will open tournament play at 2:00pm ET on Saturday versus the winner of No. 9 UCF and No. 8 Cincinnati.
No. 2 Louisville (28-3, 16-2 American) Opens tournament play at 6:00pm ET on Saturday versus the winner of No. 10 Houston and No. 7 Memphis. The Cardinals dropped their regular-season finale to UConn in front of a record crowd of 22,163 at the KFC Yum! Center.
No. 3 USF (18-11, 13-5 American) Defeated Rutgers, 60-51, on Monday to clinch the tournament’s third seed. The Bulls are 8-2 over their last 10 games and will open tournament play on Saturday at 8:00pm vs. #6 Temple/SMU.
No. 4 Rutgers (21-8, 12-6 American) Dropped its regular-season finale to USF, 60-51, and will face either Temple or SMU in the tournament quarterfinals at Noon eastern on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights are 2-3 over their last five games.
Temple (14-15, 8-10 American) and SMU (16-12, 7-10 American) Have clinched quarterfinal byes at the conference tournament. The two teams will enter the tournament at the No 5/6 spots with the exact seeding to be determined Tuesday afternoon after the UCF-SMU game.
No. 7 Memphis (13-17, 6-12 American) Clinched the seventh spot at the conference championship with a 53-47 win over Cincinnati on Monday. The Tigers open tournament play on Friday at 8:00pm eastern vs. #10 Houston.
No. 8 Cincinnati (12-17, 5-13 American) will face No. 9 UCF in the first round of the conference tournament on Friday at 6:00pm ET. The Bearcats dropped their final home game of the season to Memphis and are 2-3 over their last five games.
No. 9 UCF (10-18, 3-14 American) Wraps up its regular-season on Tuesday with a road game at SMU. The Knights will face off with #8 Cincinnati in the first-round of the conference tournament on Friday (6:00pm ET).
No. 10 Houston (5-24, 1-17 American) Takes on No. 7 Memphis in the first-round of the conference championship. Game time is slated for 8:00pm ET.
Package and single-session tickets are still available for the conference championship. To order tickets by phone, call Ticketmaster at 1.800.745.3000. In addition, tickets can be purchased online by logging on to the Mohegan Sun Arena website at www.mohegansun.com or the Ticketmaster website at www.ticketmaster.com.
Tickets can also be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office. Box office hours are 10:00am – 8:00pm daily. All ticket purchases are subject to additional convenience fees.
Fans can watch the entire tournament on the ESPN family of networks. The first round and quarterfinal games on March 7th and 8th, respectively, will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The semifinals on March 9th will be televised on ESPNU while championship game on March 10th will air on ESPN.
For more information on the American Women’s Basketball Championship and to view the tournament bracket, please visit championship central at www.theamerican.org/wbb.
Mohegan Sun Arena is ranked 3rd in the U.S. and 5th in the world by Billboard Magazine and was the 2008 and 2010 recipient of a Country Music Award for “Casino of The Year.” Venues Today also ranked Mohegan Sun Arena #3 in the Nation and #3 in the World for top stops in 2013 and also ranked the Arena in the top six of “Top Stops of The Decade” in 2012. For more information on concerts and other great events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.
Feb 26, 2014 | Entertainment, Sports
The weigh-in and pre-fight press conference for Bellator MMA will take place Thursday at 5:00pm EST in front of the box office at Mohegan Sun Arena. Bellator MMA will take place at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, February 28th with the first fight taking place at 6:30pm and streaming LIVE on Spike.com. The televised portion of the night will begin at 9:00pm and will air LIVE on Spike TV.
All participants from Friday night’s event will be on hand, as well as Bellator CEO & Chairman Bjorn Rebney.
The event will be emceed by Bellator cage announcer Michael C. Williams and Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith.
As always the weigh-in is open to both the public and media.
MAIN CARD:
Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (33-11) vs. Christian M’Pumbu (18-5)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: King Mo Lawal (11-3) vs. Mikhail Zayats (22-7)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Diego Nunes (18-5) vs. Matt Bessette (12-4)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Goiti Yamauchi (16-1) vs. Will Martinez (8-2)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Mike Richman (16-3) vs. Desmond Green (9-2)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Daniel Weichel (31-8) vs. Scott Cleve (14-3)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Egidijus Valavicius (25-10) vs. Atanas Djambazov (18-3)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Andrew Fisher (12-5-1) vs. Saul Almeida (13-5)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Ryan Quinn (8-4-1) vs. Andrew Calandrelli (6-3)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Josh Diekman (14-5) vs. Manny Lara (4-4)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Marvin Maldonado (1-1) vs. Rico DiSciullo (1-0)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Pat Schultz (8-2-1) vs. Dave Roberts (5-8)
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA
About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is the world’s largest tournament based Mixed Martial Arts organization. Televised to nearly 500 Million homes worldwide in over 140 countries, Bellator’s majority owner is entertainment giant Viacom. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. With over 175 world-class athletes under contract, Bellator is home to many of the sport’s top mixed martial artists. Bellator’s founder & CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment executive with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator’s core philosophy is that title shots should be earned, not given. This belief gave rise to Bellator’s real sport, tournament-based format, which gives Bellator’s tournaments a true playoff feel that keeps the sport true and distances itself from the subjective side of fighting sports found in organizations that utilize a matchmaking/casting formula. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Newport Beach, California.
About Spike TV:
Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.
Mohegan Sun Arena is ranked 3rd in the U.S. and 5th in the world by Billboard Magazine and was the 2008 and 2010 recipient of a Country Music Award for “Casino of The Year.” Venues Today also ranked Mohegan Sun Arena #3 in the Nation and #3 in the World for top stops in 2013 and also ranked the Arena in the top six of “Top Stops of The Decade” in 2012. For more information on concerts and other great events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.
Jan 23, 2014 | Entertainment, Special Events, Sports
Tickets on sale now through Ticketmaster and the Mohegan Suns Box Office
Bellator MMA returns to Spike TV with a bang as the promotion kicks off its tenth season on Friday, February 28th at 6:30pm at Mohegan Sun Arena. The star-studded card includes the tournament debut of MMA superstar Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Emanating from Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun, the night features Rampage in a Light Heavyweight opening round battle with former Champion Christian M’Pumbu, while “King Mo” Lawal returns to face Russian submission ace Mikhail Zayats. The night will also feature the start of the season 10 Featherweight Tournament. The official sponsors of Spike TV’s Bellator MMA season 10 are Miller Lite and Dave & Buster’s.
Tickets are $70.00, $50.00 and $30.00 and are on sale now through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to ticketmaster.com; call any Ticketmaster Charge by Phone number; 1.800.745.3000 or visit any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets may also be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Box Office subject to availability.
The event will broadcast live at 9:00pm EST/ 8:00pm CST on Spike TV. The preliminary card will be streamed live and free on spike.com beginning at 7:00pm EST/ 6:00pm CST. Tickets for the event are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the Mohegan Sun Box Office.
After making his mark with his first round knockout victory over Joey Beltran, Rampage is ready to put himself through The Toughest Tournament In Sports and earn a Bellator title shot.
“This is what Bellator is all about,” Rampage said. “I’ve never felt better, and now it’s about getting the belt. Bellator is all about the tournaments, and if that’s what you need to do to
get that belt, that’s what I’m going to do. M’Pumbu is up first, and when I finish him, it’s King Mo or Zayats, and then it’s onto the belt, simple as that.”
For Lawal, the former title contender has heard the critics and is looking for vengeance after suffering his second loss to Emanuel Newton. As the tournament moves closer, King Mo only has one thing on his mind, getting the Bellator Light Heavyweight Title.
“I’m not going to sit here and say I’m changing up my whole game plan, and you are going to see a new fighter,” Mo said. “That’s just not me. I know what I do, I know who I am, and that’s who you are going to see on February 28th, plain and simple. Me. It’s all about getting that belt.”
Bellator MMA, which features The Toughest Tournament in Sports, will showcase five tournaments this season in different weight classes including featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. The 12-week season, airing on Fridays at 9:00pm on Spike TV, will showcase many of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters from around the world in venues spanning across North America.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA
Mohegan Sun Arena is ranked 3rd in the U.S. and 5th in the world by Billboard Magazine and was the 2008 and 2010 recipient of a Country Music Award for “Casino of The Year.” Venues Today also ranked Mohegan Sun Arena #3 in the Nation and #3 in the World for top stops in 2013 and also ranked the Arena in the top six of “Top Stops of The Decade” in 2012. For more information on concerts and other great events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.
Dec 12, 2013 | Special Events, Sports
Celebrate basketball legends with 3 days of events on and off the court
The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) and former NBA greats such as Bill Russell, Rick Barry, Otis Birdsong, Dave Cowens, Darryl Dawkins, Alex English, Spencer Haywood, Robert Horry, Micheal Ray Richardson and many more are set to converge on Mohegan Sun for a weekend of exciting events Friday, April 25th through Sunday, April 27th as part of the Legends of Basketball Fantasy Weekend.
Three days of basketball action begins Thursday, April 24th with the start of the Legends of Basketball Fantasy Camp. From Friday through Sunday, fantasy campers have a chance to rub shoulders with the greatest players of all-time and compete on-the-court by participating in an all-inclusive fantasy camp in Mohegan Sun Arena with basketball legends Barry, Cowens, English, Dawkins, Birdsong and Richardson.
Opening night of Legends of Basketball Fantasy Weekend will see the Legends step off of the court and into the casino to compete with guests for a $50,000 prize pool during the Mohegan Sun Blackjack Tournament. On the evening of Saturday, April 26th Mohegan Sun will host the Legends of Basketball Philanthropy Awards Gala honoring 11-time NBA Champion Russell, 3-time NCAA men’s basketball champion Jim Calhoun and other basketball luminaries for their legacies on and off the court.
Legends of Basketball Fantasy Weekend is a charitable event to raise funds for the National Basketball Retired Players Association’s (NBRPA) Dave DeBusschere Scholarship Fund and other charitable partners. As part of the philanthropic weekend, the NBRPA’s Legends of Basketball will also conduct a free youth basketball and life skills clinic for the local community.
All-inclusive fantasy camp spots are just $2500 and include a ticket to the black-tie Gala honoring Bill Russell. For non-campers, tournament slots for the Mohegan Sun Blackjack Tournament start at $100 and tickets for the black-tie Gala are available starting at $300 with VIP packages and sponsorships also available. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster and the Mohegan Sun Box Office.
About NBRPA
The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is comprised of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA and Harlem Globetrotters. It is a 501(c) 3 organization with a mission to develop, implement and advocate a wide array of programs to benefit its members, supporters and the community. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. The NBRPA works in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Arnie D. Fielkow is the President & CEO, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Chairman of the Board Otis Birdsong, Vice Chairman Thurl Bailey, Treasurer Marvin Roberts, Secretary Steve Hayes, Past Chairman Robert A. (Bob) Elliott, Past Chairman Dr. George W. Tinsley Sr., Rick Barry, Harvey Catchings, Spencer Haywood, LaRue Martin and Johnny Newman.
About Mohegan Sun
Owned by the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, Mohegan Sun is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and dining destinations in the United States. Situated on 185 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Country. More information is available by calling 1.888.226.7711 or visiting mohegansun.com Connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, like on Pinterest and view us on YouTube.
Nov 13, 2013 | Entertainment, Special Events, Sports
Tickets for the inaugural Championship taking place at Mohegan Sun Arena available on November 15th
UNCASVILLE, CT (November 13, 2013) — All-session ticket packages for the 2014 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship will go on sale Friday, November 15th, at 10:00am via all Ticketmaster outlets. The championship will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena, March 7-10, 2014.
All 10 American teams will battle for the conference’s automatic NCAA tournament bid. The 2014 American Women’s Basketball Championship will showcase the 2013 defending national champion UConn, national runner-up Louisville, NCAA Tournament participant USF, and two WNIT competitors in Memphis and SMU. UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, Rutgers, and Temple will also contend for the title.
Package tickets to all nine games of the championship will be priced at $99.00 each, discounted by nearly one third of the face value. Ticket offices at all 10 American institutions will have all-session packages available, and tickets may also be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Box Office beginning November 15th, subject to availability.
Tickets can also be acquired by phone or online. To purchase via phone, call Ticketmaster at 1.800.745.3000. Both the Mohegan Sun website and Ticketmaster will have packages available for online purchase. For group sales (10 or more) information and discounts, please contact the Connecticut Sun Group Sales Department at 860.862.4000
The championship will be telecast via the ESPN family of networks. The first round and quarterfinals, scheduled for March 7th – 8th, will be carried live on ESPN3. The March 9th semifinals will be shown on ESPNU. The championship game, on March 10th, will appear on ESPN or ESPN2.
The American Digital Network, the league’s online home for live streaming audio and video, will provide fans with behind-the-scenes features and wrap-around content from the Championship. For all Championship information, please visit www.TheAmerican.org/WBB.
The American Athletic Conference (The American), which operated as the Big East Conference from 1979 to 2013, is a proud member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and located in Providence, Rhode Island. The American Athletic Conference comprises the following 10 member institutions: the University of Central Florida; University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, University of Houston, University of Louisville, University of Memphis, Rutgers University, Southern Methodist University, University of South Florida, and Temple University. In 2014-15, East Carolina University, Tulane University and the University of Tulsa become full members. The U.S. Naval Academy joins in football only in 2015. The American Athletic Conference is a member of the Bowl Championship Series. For more information on the Conference and its membership, please visit www.TheAmerican.org.
Mohegan Sun Arena is ranked 3rd in the U.S. and 5th in the world by Billboard Magazine and was the 2008 and 2010 recipient of a Country Music Award for “Casino of The Year.” Venues Today also ranked Mohegan Sun Arena #3 in 2012 and ranked it in the top six of “Top Stops of The Decade” in 2012. Venues Today also named Mohegan Sun Arena #4 in mid-year Top Stops for 2013. For more information on concerts and other great events visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.
Oct 25, 2013 | General News, Special Events, Sports
An evening of candid conversation with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal on Saturday, November 23rd
WHAT: Hosted by ESPN’s Sage Steele, future hall of famer Shaquille O’Neal stars in an exclusive Winning Moments event on Saturday, November 23rd.
WHEN/WHERE:
Saturday, November 23rd
Doors Open: 7:00pm
Event Begins: 8:00pm
Location: Uncas Ballroom
IN DETAIL: Mohegan Sun’s Winning Moments is a one-of-a-kind experience that allows guests to get up-close-and-personal with some of the world’s greatest sports legends. Hosted by ESPN’s Sage Steele, Shaquille O’Neal will recall his finest winning moments in front of a live, participating audience. Get a first-hand account of Shaq’s incredible journey through 19 years of domination in the NBA.
Tickets are $25.00 per person and are on sale now through Ticketmaster and the Mohegan Sun Box Office.
About Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal is widely regarded as one of the most dominant athletes of all time as well as one of the greatest centers in professional basketball history. O’Neal, a graduate of Louisiana State University, is one of the few pro players ever to reach the Finals with three different teams (Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat). He started his career with the Orlando Magic in 1992 and finished it with the Boston Celtics, retiring after 19 memorable seasons. During his career, “Shaq” would produce some of the most staggering numbers of any player to grace the hardwood as well as amassing countless accolades. He was named an all-star 15 times, a member of four professional Championship teams, 2-time scoring champ, 1992-1993 “Rookie of the Year” honors and holds claim to the 6th most total points in history with 28,596. O’Neal can now be seen regularly alongside colleagues and former basketball stars Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and host Ernie Johnson on TNT’s Inside the NBA.
About Mohegan Sun
Owned by the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, Mohegan Sun is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and dining destinations in the United States. Situated on 185 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Country. More information is available by calling 1.888.226.7711 or visiting mohegansun.com. Connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, like on Pinterest and view us on YouTube.
