SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg University men's and women's basketball teams welcome an outstanding field of eight teams for the 2007 Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic. The competition is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 28, and Saturday, Dec. 29, at Wittenberg's HPER Center Arena with games on both days scheduled for 12:30, 2:45, 5:30 and 7:45 p.m.
Men's tournament participants for 2007 include the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Olivet College from Olivet, Mich., Marian College from Indianapolis, Ind., and Wittenberg. Action gets under way Friday at 5:30 p.m. as Wisconsin-La Crosse and Marian square off, followed by a clash between the host Tigers and Olivet at 7:45 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game. On Saturday, the consolation game is slated for 2:30 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the women's consolation game, and the championship contest is slated for 7:45 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the women's championship game.
Wittenberg has won 21 of the 24 title games in the tournament's history, with the lone exceptions being in 1986 against Centre College, 1997 against the University of Chicago and 2002 against Ohio Dominican University. The Tigers have won four straight, including a 78-47 championship game victory over NAIA foe Indiana University-Southeast a year ago.
The host Tigers enter the Zimmerman Classic with a 3-5 overall record, including a mark of 1-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Wittenberg has won two straight after the program's first four-game losing streak in more than a decade. The Tigers' first-round opponent, Olivet, is off to a 2-5 start. Wisconsin-La Crosse stands at 5-4 in the early going, while Marian, an NAIA scholarship program, is 6-5 on the 2007 season.
Katie Gregorevich leads the Tiger women's team in scoring in 2007-08.
Women's tournament participants for 2007 include Carnegie Mellon University from Pittsburgh, Pa., Manchester College from Manchester, Ind., John Carroll University from University Heights, Ohio, and Wittenberg. Action gets under way Friday at 12:30 p.m. as John Carroll and Manchester square off, followed by a game between the host Tigers and Carnegie Mellon at 2:45 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game. On Saturday, action opens with the consolation game at 12:30 p.m. and the championship game at 5:30 p.m.
Wittenberg has won 10 of the 21 title games in the women's tournament history, with the last title coming in 2004 by virtue of wins over Centre and Hanover College. Last year, the Tigers dropped a 69-53 decision to Baldwin-Wallace in the championship game.
The host Tigers, under the direction of first-year Head Coach Sarah Jurewicz, check in with a 2-3 overall record, including a mark of 1-0 in the NCAC. Wittenberg's first-round opponent, Carnegie Mellon, is off to a 5-3 start in 2007. John Carroll brings a 2-5 record into the competition, while Manchester stands at 6-3 overall.
Formerly known as the Kiwanis Wittenberg Holiday Classic, the annual basketball competition was dedicated in 2005 to the late Charles B. Zimmerman, Wittenberg Class of 1956, a longtime Tiger fan and a local attorney.
069-07