Sixteen Schools Advance to Semifinal Round of Naismith Student Section of the Year Award

ATLANTA, Feb. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With NCAA® March Madness® just weeks away, the nation is turning its eyes to the hardwood and the Naismith Student Section of the Year Award, where fans everywhere will have a say in determining the best student section in college basketball. Based on popular vote, the following 16 schools have advanced to the semifinal round of the Naismith Student of the Year Award:

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Colorado Buffaloes
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Illinois Fighting Illini
Indiana Hoosiers
Iowa State Cyclones
Kansas Jayhawks
Marquette Golden Eagles
Pitt Panthers
Purdue Boilermakers
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
Saint Joseph's Hawks
Southern University Jaguars
Syracuse Orange
Utah State Aggies
VCU Rams
Valparaiso Crusaders

The next phase in determining the eight finalists also includes a fan vote, which is now reset to zero for the 16 semifinalists.

Fans can visit www.facebook.com/ILoveCollegeHoops to vote for one of the 16 remaining Division I basketball schools in contention for the award. The Naismith Student Section of the Year Award, which is presented through a partnership of The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), an affiliate of IMG College, and the Atlanta Tipoff Club, administrators of the Naismith Awards, is dedicated to celebrating fans that love college hoops and provide support to their college basketball team with devotion and passion. 

The final round of public voting for the top 16 institutions occurs now and runs through Feb. 22.  The eight institutions with the highest vote tally will be deemed finalists and placed in front of the Naismith Board of Selectors for the final selection.

A total of 158 schools representing 25 conferences submitted entries for the award, which was launched on Jan. 17. The Student Section of the Year award winner is set to be announced on March 8. The winning school will receive $10,000 to be used in its general scholarship fund.

Complete details on the selection process can be found at facebook.com/ilovecollegehoops.

About The Collegiate Licensing Company
CLC is a division of global sports and entertainment company IMG. Founded in 1981, CLC is the oldest and largest collegiate trademark licensing agency in the U.S. and currently represents nearly 200 colleges, universities, bowl games, athletic conferences, The Heisman Trophy and the NCAA. The mission of CLC is to be the guiding force in collegiate trademark licensing and one of the top sports licensing firms in the country. CLC is dedicated to being a center of excellence in providing licensing services of the highest quality to its member institutions, licensees, retailers and consumers. Headquartered in Atlanta (Ga.), CLC is a full-service licensing representative, which employs a staff of more than 80 licensing professionals who provide full-service capabilities in brand protection, brand management, and brand development. For more information on CLC, visit: www.clc.com or www.imgworld.com.

SOURCE The Collegiate Licensing Company