University of Minnesota Athletics
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/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn
Willis Set to Compete in 3x3 Championship
3/29/2022 10:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota's Payton Willis has been selected to participate in the 2022 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, scheduled for April 1-3 at The Sugar Mill in New Orleans.
Sixty-four players, who have elected to begin their professional careers, will represent all 32 Division I conferences and compete for their share of $150,000 – one of the largest prize purses at any FIBA 3x3 sanctioned events – by teaming up with other aspiring pro prospects from around the country. Each conference will be paired with another, forming 16 four-man rosters that will be separated into four pools.
Willis had his best point performance season of his collegiate career en route to All-Big Ten honorable mention honors. The senior from Fayetteville, Ark., averages 15.9 ppg, which ranked second on the team and 10th within the Big Ten. In fact, Willis ranked top 10 within the league in ppg, assists per game (4.3) and steals per game (1.4). Willis led the league in best three-point efficiency at 42.8 percent and 10th nationally. His 15.9 ppg bettered his 13.4 he averaged last year at College of Charleston and 8.9 his first time at Minnesota. The starting point guard led the team with 124 assists and averaged 4.27 per game, good enough for eighth in the league. The Academic All-Big Ten selection was also a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week after the Mississippi State and Rutgers wins.
Teams will play each squad in their respective pool on April 1 and 2 before all 16 will head to the knockout stage on April 3, with the top two teams from each pool receiving byes to the quarterfinals. The winning team from each pool play game will win $1,000, victories in the first two knockout rounds will net another $1,000, a quarterfinal win is worth $5,000, a semifinal triumph is another $10,000, while the team that takes home the Tournament title will add $50,000 to their winnings.
The paired conferences, and their respective pools, can be found below:
Kyle Montgomery, the voice of FIBA 3x3, and Robbie Hummel, current ESPN and Big Ten Network analyst, will be behind the mic calling games all weekend long. Tate Frazier and Mark Titus of the Titus & Tate Podcast will also suit up as the hosts of the Dos Equis Lounge to provide commentary, postgame interviews and more over the three-day experience.
Through the first three years of the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, at least 200 players that have participated in the event have signed professional contracts.
For more information on the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, including event updates, details, rules and more, follow us on Twitter at @3X3UHoops or online at www.3X3UHoops.com.
Date, Tournament Schedule, Time (CT), Live Coverage
April 1, Pool Play, 1 p.m.,ESPNU
April 1, Pool Play, 3 p.m., Twitter - @3X3UHoops
April 2, Pool Play, 7:30 a.m., Twitter - @3X3UHoops
April 2, Pool Play, 3 p.m., ESPNU
April 3, Play-In & Quarterfinals, 9 a.m., Twitter - @3X3UHoops
April 3, Semis & Championship, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2
Sixty-four players, who have elected to begin their professional careers, will represent all 32 Division I conferences and compete for their share of $150,000 – one of the largest prize purses at any FIBA 3x3 sanctioned events – by teaming up with other aspiring pro prospects from around the country. Each conference will be paired with another, forming 16 four-man rosters that will be separated into four pools.
Willis had his best point performance season of his collegiate career en route to All-Big Ten honorable mention honors. The senior from Fayetteville, Ark., averages 15.9 ppg, which ranked second on the team and 10th within the Big Ten. In fact, Willis ranked top 10 within the league in ppg, assists per game (4.3) and steals per game (1.4). Willis led the league in best three-point efficiency at 42.8 percent and 10th nationally. His 15.9 ppg bettered his 13.4 he averaged last year at College of Charleston and 8.9 his first time at Minnesota. The starting point guard led the team with 124 assists and averaged 4.27 per game, good enough for eighth in the league. The Academic All-Big Ten selection was also a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week after the Mississippi State and Rutgers wins.
Teams will play each squad in their respective pool on April 1 and 2 before all 16 will head to the knockout stage on April 3, with the top two teams from each pool receiving byes to the quarterfinals. The winning team from each pool play game will win $1,000, victories in the first two knockout rounds will net another $1,000, a quarterfinal win is worth $5,000, a semifinal triumph is another $10,000, while the team that takes home the Tournament title will add $50,000 to their winnings.
The paired conferences, and their respective pools, can be found below:
| Pool A Big East/A-10 (Beast Coast Ballers) American/C-USA (American Made) Ivy/Patriot (Wicked Smahts) America East/MAAC (Metro East Mayhem) |
Pool B Big Ten/MAC (#B1GMACtion) SEC/SoCon (Dirty South) ASUN/Sun Belt (SUNs of Anarchy) Summit/OVC (Summit Valley Oop'n) |
| Pool C Big 12/Southland (Southwest Souljas) Horizon/MVC (Horizon Valley Hoopers) Big Sky/Big West (Western Sky-Walkers) MEAC/SWAC (HBC-U Don't Want None) |
Pool D Pac-12/WCC (B-Ball After Dark (B.A.D.) Boys) ACC/Big South (Tobacco Road Ryders) MWC/WAC (Rocky Mountain Range) CAA/NEC (Colonial Con-NEC-tion) |
Kyle Montgomery, the voice of FIBA 3x3, and Robbie Hummel, current ESPN and Big Ten Network analyst, will be behind the mic calling games all weekend long. Tate Frazier and Mark Titus of the Titus & Tate Podcast will also suit up as the hosts of the Dos Equis Lounge to provide commentary, postgame interviews and more over the three-day experience.
Through the first three years of the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, at least 200 players that have participated in the event have signed professional contracts.
For more information on the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, including event updates, details, rules and more, follow us on Twitter at @3X3UHoops or online at www.3X3UHoops.com.
Date, Tournament Schedule, Time (CT), Live Coverage
April 1, Pool Play, 1 p.m.,ESPNU
April 1, Pool Play, 3 p.m., Twitter - @3X3UHoops
April 2, Pool Play, 7:30 a.m., Twitter - @3X3UHoops
April 2, Pool Play, 3 p.m., ESPNU
April 3, Play-In & Quarterfinals, 9 a.m., Twitter - @3X3UHoops
April 3, Semis & Championship, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2
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