WV Illustrated Wrote:BIG EAST Tournament Travel Guide
By Heather Richardson for wvillustrated.com
March 7, 2010

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The annual BIG EAST tournament is right around the corner, and Bob Huggins and his entourage of hoop talent isn’t the only group looking forward to donning their “I heart NY” t-shirts for the trip to Madison Square Garden.

The Tournament is always a big draw for West Virginia fans near and far, no matter the team’s ranking. But this year, a Top 10 team has given Mountaineer Nation plenty of reasons to cheer—and pack their bags for the Big Apple.

The WVU Alumni Association has prepared accordingly for next week’s BIG EAST Tournament celebration with annual events for those making the trek to support the team.

“As the excitement around the team has grown, so have our numbers,” said WVU Alumni Association chapter outreach director Gregg Cave. “It’s giving us a great opportunity to reach out to more alumni. It’s an exciting time to be a Mountaineer.”

Every year, the WVU Alumni Association partners with the New York and New Jersey Metro Alumni Chapter to host the WVU BIG EAST Reception, which offers food, beverages, raffles, and prizes to fans making the trip to Madison Square Garden. While a long list of generous sponsors offset costs from the event, it still has a charitable purpose--all proceeds from the raffle benefit the Patrick Matz Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

This year, the 15th annual reception will be held Tuesday, March 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Affinia Manhattan Hotel Ballroom, located on 371 Seventh Avenue in the heart of New York City—also known as West Virginia team headquarters.

If you won’t be taking on the big city until the Mountaineers make their debut on Thursday, don’t fret—you’ll still have an opportunity to partake in the WVU Alumni Association celebration. Fans will have the opportunity to celebrate the success of the Mountaineer Men’s Basketball Team on March 11 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the 2010 Alumni and Fan Extravaganza at the Theater Lobby of Madison Square Garden. The cost is $30 per person and includes a buffet, coffee, tea and dessert.

“We have a huge alumni population in the greater NYC metro area,” said Cave.

“These events offer us a great opportunity to come together and cheer on the Mountaineers.”

Fans looking for other WVU fan gathering spots can also stop by Local West, which will be hosting WVU fans for food, drinks and specials throughout the Tournament. Conveniently located adjacent to Madison Square Garden, the café and bar is expected to be a popular gathering spot for pre-game and post-game celebrations.

Of course, no Mountaineer can visit New York City and bypass the heralded cuisine of one of their own.


WVU football great and ex-NFL player, Amos Zereoue, owns and operates Zereoue's in NYC. His restaurant has been recognized nationally for its unique French and African cuisine.
WVillustrated.com Photo by David Miller

Zereoue’s, owned by former Mountaineer and Steelers’ football sensation of the same name, has been recognized nationally for its unique French and African cuisine and modern, elegant and exotic atmosphere. Amos himself is expected to be around Madison Square Garden next week cheering on his alma mater and enjoying the Alumni Association celebrations.

In-between pre-gaming at the WVU Alumni Association events, having dinner at Zereoue’s, watching the Mountaineers win the BIG EAST and heading to Local West for a night cap, be sure to notice the video boards at Times Square and Madison Square Garden, where WVU video footage will be shown to broadcast Mountaineer Pride across the city that never sleeps.

The BIG EAST Tournament will showcase the talents of the Top 16 teams in the conference. Seeds No. 9 through 16 will tipoff Tuesday, and the winners of those games will face seeds No. 5 through 8 on Wednesday.

West Virginia, who was fortunate enough to secure a double-bye, won’t see action until Thursday, when the Top 4 teams face the winners of Wednesday’s games. The semi-finals will be held Friday, narrowing the field down to two championship teams who will face off for the title on Saturday night.

Stay tuned to http://www.wvillustrated.com all next week, as our own Geoff Coyle will be coming to you from Madison Square Garden!