CONWAY – Coastal Carolina University senior basketball player Zac Cuthbertson has been selected to play in the Dos Equis 3X3 National Championship at Minnesota’s Mall of America April 5-7. The event runs in conjunction with the NCAA Final Four.

Each team roster will be comprised of four eligible seniors from the same Division I conference. Cuthbertson is on a team of seniors which will represent the Sun Belt Conference. Joining Cuthbertson from the conference are Daishon Smith (Louisiana-Monroe), Ty Cockfield (Arkansas State) and Sun Belt Player of the Year, Tookie Brown (Georgia Southern).

Teams will be organized into eight pools of four and each team will be guaranteed three pool play games, earning $1,000 for every victory on Friday and Saturday. The top two teams in each pool will move on to Sunday’s knockout stage, where the stakes skyrocket. Only the teams competing in the tournament final will earn additional prize money, with the champions winning $100,000.

The tournament is comprised of all-star seniors, who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility, representing all 32 Division I conferences. The teams will compete for a $150,000 prize pool, with the champions taking home $100,000. Additionally, the winning team will earn the right to compete in the 2019 USA Basketball 3X3 Open National Championship later this spring.

Cuthbertson turned in one of the best season’s in CCU program history. The Second Team All-Sun Belt pick finished the year averaging over 18 points per game. His 618 points scored this season is the third-most points scored during a single season. He also set the single-season mark for free throws made with 174 and in free throw attempts with 228.

For good measure he had 277 rebounds, an average of over eight per game. That is also the fifth-most single season rebounds in the record books.

All games of the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship will be carried live on Twitter or ESPN2. Pool play will begin at 3 p.m. ET on April 5, with 24 games streamed live exclusively on Twitter. Pool play will continue on April 6 at 9:30 a.m. ET with 24 more games streamed live exclusively on Twitter. Round of 16 and quarterfinal games will be streamed live exclusively on Twitter at 10:30 a.m. ET on April 7, with semifinal, consolation and championship games televised live on ESPN2 later that day at 3 p.m. ET. Returning to call all the action throughout the tournament will be the voice of FIBA 3×3 basketball, Kyle Montgomery, with Robbie Hummel of ESPN and Tate Frazier and Mark Titus of The Ringer’s One Shining Podcast providing color commentary and sideline coverage.

“The attention from the inaugural Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship last year has really elevated the anticipation for this year’s event at Mall of America,” said Drew Russell, executive vice president at Intersport, the Chicago-based agency which operates the event. “We are incredibly excited about the field of players that will be competing in the event and believe the talent that will be on display will create an unforgettable atmosphere for everyone involved. Additionally, we’re confident these players are going to enjoy a one of a kind experience that will help position them for the next steps in their basketball careers.”

The setting for the second annual Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship will be unlike anything the 128 players have seen when they take to the half-court inside Mall of America, the most popular tourist destination in Minnesota with more than 40 million visitors each year. The Dos Equis 3X3U National

Championship will be staged in the Rotunda at the Mall, which hosted the first WCW Monday Nitro in September 1995, and will be just the second live sporting event to be broadcast in the Mall’s history.

Bragging rights for the winners won’t end in Minnesota; the 2019 champion will earn the right to represent the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship at the USA Basketball 3×3 Open National Championship later this spring. There, athletes will have the opportunity to be selected to represent the United States in the 2019 FIBA 3×3 World Cup, held June 18-23 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Participating athletes will also be considered for the USA Basketball 3×3 athlete pool, which may lead to future opportunities in other FIBA 3×3 competitions. Of note, the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo will feature 3×3 basketball as a medal sport for the first time.

Admission to the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship is free and fans are encouraged to be part of the atmosphere during regular Mall of America operating hours (10 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. CT on April 5-6, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. CT on April 7).

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.3X3U

For complete coverage of CCU men’s basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalMBB (twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.