Lets stay in first place! Please vote early and often! INDIANAPOLIS (February 7, 2014) – As the field in the NCAA 6th Fan contest narrows to 16 schools for the contest’s 2nd round, NCAA is challenging fans of all Division I men’s basketball programs to cast votes on NCAA by February 16 to prove that their school belongs in the Sweet Sixteen® of the most spirited, most dedicated, most passionate fans. NCAA 6th Fan is a national contest for fans to show their school pride and support online in an NCAA March Madness-style competition. All 345 schools with a Division I men’s basketball program are eligible to compete in this regular season, national online contest conducted on NCAA by the NCAA, Turner and CBS Sports. The following schools are leading the votes for the Sweet Sixteen with a week remaining in Round 1 (as of Feb. 7): Top 16 1. Arkansas State University 2. University of Texas, Pan American 3. North Dakota State University 4. University of New Mexico 5. University of North Carolina, Asheville 6. University of Northern Iowa 7. Western Illinois University 8. University of Arkansas, Little Rock 9. Bryant University 10. Brigham Young University 11. University of Central Florida 12. Western Carolina University 13. Virginia Commonwealth University 14. University of Portland 15. George Washington University 16. Radford University 17th-32nd place 17. Longwood University 18. Iowa State University 19. University of Iowa 20. University of California, Davis 21. University of Kentucky 22. Southern University, Baton Rouge 23. Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis 24. Xavier University 25. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 26. University of North Carolina at Greensboro 27. University of Louisiana at Monroe 28. Bowling Green State University 29. San Diego State University 30. University of Illinois, Champaign 31. University at Buffalo, the State University of New York 32. University of Cincinnati Thus far, there have been more than 1.6 million total votes cast (an average of almost 4,520 votes per school), with a slim margin of votes (approximately 15,000) currently separating schools ranked between 16th and 32nd place, all of which are still within striking distance of advancing to the Sweet Sixteen round. Fans can vote in the contest at ncaa/6thFan, as well as check out current rankings, daily vote leaders, and biggest movers. To prove which fan base is most passionate, supporters are asked to vote daily on NCAA, or via Twitter using #6thFan and their school’s unique hashtag. Fans also can connect their Facebook to the site to vote and register for a chance to win prizes. “These are the greatest fans in college basketball,” said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s vice president of men’s basketball. “NCAA 6th Fan is a great way to recognize these fans and their place in the tradition of college hoops.” The top 16 schools will advance to the head-to-head seeded bracket phase of the competition on Feb. 17. Each school that makes it to the 6th Fan’s Sweet Sixteen will receive $10,000 towards its general scholarship fund. Following a week of Round 2 voting, schools that receive more votes than their head-to-head competitor will advance to the Elite 8 to be announced on Feb. 24. Following another week of head-to-head voting match-ups, the schools progressing to the contest’s Final Four will be announced on March 3, and the two finalists will be named on March 10. The school generating the most votes in the final round of the 6th Fan contest that ends on March 16 (Selection SundayTM) will win a $100,000 contribution to its general scholarship fund. The response we’ve received from this contest so far has made one thing abundantly clear,” said, Mark Johnson, Vice President, Business Operations – NCAA Digital. “Fans absolutely love their schools. We’ve got schools reaching out to their communities through newsletters and social media to encourage voting, even students and alumni campaigning for votes amongst friends and relatives.” One randomly selected participant who registers and votes on NCAA will win an all-expense paid trip to the 2015 Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis April 4-6, 2015. Additionally, iPad Airs will be awarded in each of the five rounds to randomly chosen individuals who vote via NCAA in each respective round. CBS Sports College Basketball Analyst and 6th Fan spokesperson, Clark Kellogg, will participate in media interviews to increase awareness of the program and drive fan voting, as well as host a Google+ Hangout On-Air to field fan questions and share stories from his career covering college basketball. Clark has been promoting and offering insights throughout the contest, which launched on January 7. For the fourth consecutive year, Turner Sports and CBS Sports will provide live coverage of all 67 games from the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across four national television networks – CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. If you have any questions about the overall NCAA Basketball promotional effort, please feel free to contact David Knopp at [email protected] or 317/966-5850.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Feb 2014 22:17:09 +0000