July 21, 2006
2006 San Juan Shootout Bracket
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MILWAUKEE -- The San Juan Shootout, the longest running Division I college basketball tournament off the mainland, is set for its 20th year and the 2006 field is easily one of the strongest. The tournament, held Dec. 19-21 at the Mario Morales Coliseum in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, features four BCS conference schools and three of the best "mid-majors" in the country.
Northwestern will square off against Tennessee Tech of the Ohio Valley Conference in the first round at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19. Northwestern finished the 2005-06 season with a 14-15 mark and returns two starters from that squad. TTU should be the favorite to contend for the OVC crown thanks to four returning starters from a 19-12 squad last season.
The Wildcats also participated in the Shootout back in December of 2000, head coach Bill Carmody's first season in Evanston. NU posted a 2-1 record at the Shootout that year, dropping its opening round game to Kent State before closing out the tournament with wins over Iona and Evansville.
Vanderbilt University will open the tournament with an 11 a.m. game on Dec. 19 against tournament host University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. The Commodores of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) return all five starters from last season's 16-13 NIT team, including their top two scorers in junior Shan Foster and senior Derrick Byars.
The University of Utah from the Mountain West Conference and the University of Central Florida of Conference USA will face off in the third quarterfinal set for 3 p.m. Utah, a perennial MWC power, returns four starters from a 14-15 team, including MWC honorable mention selection Johnnie Bryant. UCF returns three starters while looking to improve upon last season's 14-15 overall record.
Tuesday's fourth and final quarterfinal will feature the University of Virginia from the Atlantic Coast Conference and Appalachian State University from the Southern Conference. The Cavaliers should be major players in the 2006-07 ACC race with all five starters returning from a 15-win, NIT squad from a year ago. Appalachian State posted a 14-16 record last year and return all five starters. The UVA-Appalachian State game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
The tournament will continue on Wednesday, Dec. 20 with two consolation bracket games set for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the two semifinal contests later that day. Thursday's (Dec. 21) championship round begins with the seventh place game at 11 a.m. followed by the consolation title at 1 p.m. The third place contest will begin at 3 p.m. with the 20th San Juan Shootout title game set for 5 p.m.