University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies to Participate in Maggie Dixon Classic
7/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
July 28, 2010
NEW YORK - MSG Sports and the Dixon Family announced today that defending NCAA champion UConn along with Rutgers University, The Ohio State University and Texas A&M will play in the annual Maggie Dixon Classic on Sunday, December 19, 2010 at Madison Square Garden. The national matchups will mark the fifth anniversary of the Maggie Dixon Classic and the fourth consecutive season The Garden will host the premier women's college basketball doubleheader.
Making their fourth appearance in the Maggie Dixon Classic, Rutgers University, led by Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer will take to the court against Gary Blair's defending Big 12 Tournament champion Texas A&M in game one scheduled for noon. This will mark Texas A&M's first appearance in the Classic.
Game two features Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma and the defending back-to-back NCAA Champion UConn Huskies as they tip off against 2009 - 2010 Big Ten champion, Ohio State and head coach Jim Foster. UConn will be making their second appearance in three years at the Maggie Dixon Classic with Ohio State making their second appearance.
All four head coaches participating in the 2010 Maggie Dixon Classic are ranked in the top 20 among active coaches in winning percentage. Between the four coaches there are a total of 2,857 victories.
Tickets for the Maggie Dixon Classic start at $15.00 and go on sale Thursday, July 29 at 12:00 p.m. They can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, all Ticketmaster locations and online at www.thegarden.com. Madison Square Garden's full college basketball schedule will be announced at a later date.
The Maggie Dixon Classic is held annually in memory of the former Army Black Knights women's basketball coach. On April 6, 2006, the women's college basketball community lost a young Maggie Dixon, who died from an undiagnosed heart condition. Over the course of her six months as head coach at the United States Military Academy, she led the program to unprecedented heights; the Black Knights played in their first Patriot League Championship and Dixon led her team to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Over 325,000 Americans die every year from Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Madison Square Garden will again team with the Dixon family to host a Heart Health Fair during both games. All fans are encouraged to attend the Heart Health Fair to help raise awareness of heart related illness.
