The ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout is an annual women's college basketball tournament in Anchorage, Alaska that features host University of Alaska Anchorage and three visiting NCAA Div. I teams. The four-team tournament resumed in 2022 following a four-year layoff. The women's Shootout was started in 1980 and ran through 1997 as the Northern Lights Invitational, featuring either four- or eight-team fields and playing at the UAA Sports Center. Following a one-year absence, the tournament was renamed and run along with the men's Great Alaska Shootout every Thanksgiving week from 1999 to 2017. The tournament was held at Sullivan Arena from 1999 to 2013 and moved to the Alaska Airlines Center in 2014.

Great Alaska Shootout
SportMen's & women's college basketball
Founded1978
Ceased2017
No. of teams4 (women's)
CountryUnited States
Venue(s)Alaska Airlines Center, Anchorage, Alaska
Official website[1]

Now co-sponsored by Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and ConocoPhillips Alaska, the 2022 tournament is being held Nov. 18–19 at the Alaska Airlines Center. The 2022 field features host Alaska Anchorage (an NCAA Div. II program) against NCAA Div. I programs UC Riverside, La Salle and Pepperdine.

Men's Shootout History

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The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) hosted the tournament every Thanksgiving from 1978 to 2017. Tournament games were played at the Alaska Airlines Center, a new arena on the UAA campus, from 2014 to 2017. Prior to that, games were played at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage from 1983 to 2013 and at Buckner Field House on Fort Richardson from 1978 to 1982. The men's tournament included eight teams (with the exception of a six-team field in 2009).

The tournament was one of the longest-running tournaments in college basketball history, lasting for 40 years, and brought the highest level of basketball to Alaska. The Shootout was held Thanksgiving weekend.[1]

Under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules, teams are normally limited to approximately 28 regular-season games. However, games in "exempted events," traditionally played early in the season, are not counted against that limit. The most recent policy from the NCAA in this regard allows all teams to play in one exempted event per season. Those teams who choose to take advantage of that opportunity may play up to thirty-one games per season, including games played in those exempted events but excluding postseason tournament games. A previous version of the rule allowed for all games played outside the United States mainland to be exempt from the then-27-game limit. This version was partly responsible for the genesis of tournaments such as Great Alaska Shootout.

The Great Alaska Shootout began in 1978 as the brainchild of former UAA men's basketball coach Bob Rachal. Raycom Sports first picked up the broadcast rights to the tournament in 1979.,[2] and ESPN began broadcasting it in 1985.

On August 26, 2017, it was announced that the 2017 Shootout would be the last. The University of Alaska Anchorage stopped funding it as newer tournaments were drawing away top teams to warmer locations.[1]

Past champions, runners-up and MVPs

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Men's tournament

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The following table indicates the winners, runners-up and tournament most valuable players (MVPs).[3]

Year Winner Score Opponent Tournament MVP
1978 North Carolina State 72–66 Louisville Clyde Austin, NC State
1979 Kentucky 57–50 Iona Jeff Ruland, Iona
1980 North Carolina 64–58 Arkansas Scott Hastings, Arkansas
1981 Southwestern Louisiana 81–64 Marquette Steve Burtt, Iona
1982 Louisville 80–70 Vanderbilt Lancaster Gordon, Louisville
1983 North Carolina State 65–60 Arkansas Joe Kleine, Arkansas
1984 UAB 50–46 Kansas Steve Mitchell, UAB
1985 North Carolina 65–60 UNLV Brad Daugherty, North Carolina
1986 Iowa 103–80 Northeastern Roy Marble, Iowa
1987 Arizona 80–69 Syracuse Sean Elliott, Arizona
1988 Seton Hall 92–81 Kansas Chris Mills, Kentucky
1989 Michigan State 73–68 Kansas State Steve Smith, Michigan State
1990 UCLA 89–74 Virginia Don MacLean, UCLA
1991 Massachusetts 68–56 New Orleans Jim McCoy, Massachusetts
1992 New Mexico State 95–94 Illinois Sam Crawford, New Mexico State
1993 Purdue 88–73 Portland Glenn Robinson, Purdue
1994 Minnesota 79–74 BYU Townsend Orr, Minnesota
1995 Duke 88–81 Iowa Ray Allen, Connecticut
1996 Kentucky 92–65 College of Charleston Ron Mercer, Kentucky
1997 North Carolina 73–69 Purdue Antawn Jamison, North Carolina
1998 Cincinnati 77–75 Duke William Avery, Duke
1999 Kansas 84–70 Georgia Tech Drew Gooden, Kansas
2000 Syracuse 84–62 Missouri Preston Shumpert, Syracuse
2001 Marquette 72–63 Gonzaga Dwyane Wade, Marquette
2002 College of Charleston 71–69 Villanova Troy Wheless, College of Charleston
2003 Purdue 78–68 Duke Kenneth Lowe, Purdue
2004 Washington 79–76 Alabama Nate Robinson, Washington
2005 Marquette 92–89 (OT) South Carolina Steve Novak, Marquette
2006 California 78–70 Loyola Marymount Ryan Anderson, California
2007 Butler 81–71 Texas Tech Mike Green, Butler
2008 San Diego State 76–47 Hampton Kyle Spain, San Diego State
2009 Washington State 93–56 San Diego Klay Thompson, Washington State
2010 St. John's 67–58 Arizona State Justin Brownlee, St. John's
2011 Murray State 90–81 (2OT) Southern Mississippi Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
2012 Charlotte 67–59 Northeastern Pierria Henry, Charlotte
2013 Harvard 71–50 TCU Wesley Saunders, Harvard
2014 Colorado State 65–63 UC Santa Barbara Alan Williams, UC Santa Barbara
2015 Middle Tennessee 78–70 Toledo Nathan Boothe, Toledo
2016 Iona 75–73 Nevada Sam Cassell Jr, Iona
2017 Central Michigan 75–72 Cal State Bakersfield Shawn Roundtree, Central Michigan

Women's tournament

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The following table indicates the winners, runners up and tournament MVPs.[4]

Year Winner Score Opponent Tournament MVP
1980 Iowa 73–52 Alaska Anchorage Cindy Haugejorde, Iowa
1981 San Diego State 50–41 Houston Diena Pels, San Diego State
1982 Minnesota 70–66 Indiana Laura Coenen, Minnesota
1983 Old Dominion 76–53 Wichita State Lorri Bauman, Drake
1984 Texas 82–60 UNLV Annette Smith, Texas
1985 Louisiana Tech 88–69 Penn State Dawn Royster, North Carolina
1986 Northeast Louisiana 70–68 USC Lisa Ingram, Northeast Louisiana
1987 New Orleans 84–61 Memphis State Kunshinge Sorrell, Mississippi State
1988 South Carolina 98–97 (OT) UNLV Martha Parker, South Carolina
1989 Stephen F. Austin 96–81 Old Dominion Connie Cole, Stephen F. Austin
1990 Alaska Anchorage 88–87 South Alabama Diane Dobrich, Alaska Anchorage
1991 Northern Illinois 63–60 Louisville Lisa Foss, Northern Illinois
1992 Penn State 83–62 Missouri-Kansas City Susan Robinson, Penn State
1993 Hawai'i N/A1 SMU Valerie Agee, Hawai'i
19942 Rhode Island N/A1 Northeast Louisiana Dayna Smith, Rhode Island
19942 Clemson 79–62 UCLA Tara Saunooke, Clemson
1995 South Carolina 83–71 Arizona State Shannon Johnson, South Carolina
1996 Georgia 72–55 Oregon Tracy Henderson, Georgia
1997 Tennessee 87–66 Wisconsin Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee
1998 No tournament
1999 Kansas 78–68 Louisville Lynn Pride, Kansas
2000 Ohio State 95–60 Rhode Island Jaime Lewis, Ohio State
2001 Iowa 90–73 Gonzaga Lindsey Meder, Iowa
2002 Nevada 68–56 Indiana Laura Ingham, Nevada
2003 Alaska Anchorage 61–58 Clemson Kamie Jo Massey, Alaska Anchorage
2004 Stanford 67–47 Louisiana-Lafayette Candice Wiggins, Stanford
2005 Central Connecticut State 69–65 (OT) Arizona Gabriella Guegbelet, Central Connecticut State
2006 Alaska Anchorage 78–70 UC Riverside Rebecca Kielpinski, Alaska Anchorage
2007 Alaska Anchorage 52–50 Santa Clara Rebecca Kielpinski, Alaska Anchorage
2008 Alaska Anchorage 58–57 Syracuse Rebecca Kielpinski, Alaska Anchorage
2009 Alaska Anchorage 49–48 Cincinnati Nicci Miller, Alaska Anchorage
2010 Kent State 53–47 Alaska Anchorage Jamilah Humes, Kent State
2011 Miami 92–72 South Florida Shenise Johnson, Miami
2012 Utah State 67–57 Alaska Anchorage Devyn Christensen, Utah State
2013 Georgetown 92–78 Alaska Anchorage Andrea White, Georgetown
2014 Long Beach State 69–60 Alaska Anchorage Megan Mullings, Alaska Anchorage
2015 Western Kentucky 62–58 Alaska Anchorage Kendall Noble, Western Kentucky
2016 USC 67–54 Portland Kristen Simon, USC
2017 Alaska Anchorage 59–53 Tulsa Shelby Cloninger, Alaska Anchorage
2018 Not held
2019
2020
2021
2022 Alaska Anchorage 88–75 La Salle Vishe' Rabb, Alaska Anchorage
2023 Utah 117–72 Eastern Kentucky Alissa Pili, Utah

1Tournament was played in a round robin format.
2The tournament was moved to earlier in the season beginning in the 1994–95 season; hence the first 1994 tournament corresponds to the 1993–94 season and the second tournament to the 1994–95 season.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Great Alaska Shootout will end after 2017". ESPN. Associated Press (AP). August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  2. ^ "Raycom A Year Older And A Radio Division Larger". Chicago Tribune. July 18, 1989. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  3. ^ "Year-by-Year Results". November 30, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  4. ^ "Women's Year-by-Year Results". March 13, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
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