Three Peach Belt Schools to Host Midnight Madness

It’s a sound we haven’t heard since March, the relentless beating of…drums? Marching footsteps? A beating heart? No…its a basketball on a wooden floor. Its coming closer and closer…its…basketball season!

Three Peach Belt Conference schools will celebrate the magic date of Oct. 15, the date when basketball teams can officially begin practice, by hosting a Midnight Madness on campus. USC Aiken and Georgia College & State University will host their events on Sunday night, Oct. 14, while Columbus State will delay the festivities until Friday, Oct. 19.

At USC Aiken, the evening will begin at 10:30 with food for all in attendance while the USC Aiken Athletic Band performs. A karaoke contest begins at 11:00 PM followed by performances from the cheerleaders and dance team. There will also be various games and giveaways leading up to midnight.

The highlight of the night comes at midnight with the introduction of both the men and women’s basketball teams and the coaching staffs. A three-point contest will then pit the Pacers against members of the faculty, followed by members of the men’s basketball team participating in a slam-dunk contest. The night concludes with the Greek Step Show at approximately 12:45 AM.

Georgia College & State University will get the party started at 10 pm. Held at GCSU’s Centennial Center, the event will be free and open to the public, encouraging some Bobcat fans to consider calling in “sick” on Monday.

As always, the GCSU Athletic Department staff will be flipping free pancakes all night, with top spatula honors going to Director of Athletics Stan Aldridge. The 2007 Peach Belt Conference Champion Dance Team will entertain with a routine, and the three-time National Champion Bobcat Cheerleading squad will be on hand to perform and keep up the excitement.

At the stroke of midnight, fresh off a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2006-07, the Lady Bobcats will take the floor for a 20-minute intersquad scrimmage. The guest coaches remain a secret at this time, with more information forthcoming. Following that will be a Dunk Contest for the Men’s Squad, and a Three-Point Shootout involving members of both teams. The capper for the night will be a 20-minute scrimmage by the men’s team.

Columbus State will begin their Friday night festivities at 9 p.m. and continue through midnight at the Frank G. Lumpkin Center. There will be food and prizes for students and also a faculty vs. students basketball game along with the introduction of the men’s and women’s basketball teams at midnight. More details about CSU’s evening will be released next week.