Round
4: Pontiac Game Changing Performance nominee
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Competition announces top plays from Elite Eight
First-ever fan-voted scholarship in NCAA basketball history will
award one school $100,000
[MARCH 29, 2005]
DETROIT --
Pontiac's Game Changing Performance competition rounded out its list
of "game changing nominees" Monday, announcing the top plays from
the 2005 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Elite Eight round. The
"game changing performance" nominations are:
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University of Louisville
Louisville made its eighth Final Four despite playing the final
minutes of regulation and overtime against West Virginia without
arguably its best player. Both teams combined for an NCAA
tournament-record 29 three-pointers.
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University of Illinois
The top-seeded Illini battled back from a 14-point deficit with
less than four minutes to play against Arizona before prevailing
in overtime 90-89.
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University of North Carolina
North Carolina nailed a clutch 3-pointer and provided solid
defense to lead the top-seeded Tar Heels to a Final Four berth.
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University of Kentucky
Kentucky theatrically tied the game at the end of regulation with
a buzzer-beating 3-point shot, but Michigan State outscored the
Wildcats in the second overtime period to advance to the Final
Four for the fourth time in seven years.
After each round leading up to the
Final Four, CBS will select up to four plays that had the greatest
impact on the game and characterize the excitement and intensity of
NCAA sports. Fan voting will determine the winning Pontiac Game
Changing Performance from each round. Fans can vote for Elite Eight
"game changing nominees" on
NCAASports.com/Pontiac
through midnight (March 29).
On Wednesday, CBS will announce the
four Pontiac Game Changing Performance finalists. Finalists earn a
$5,000 general scholarship contribution and the chance to be voted
the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the NCAA Tournament. The
overall winning performance -- along with a $100,000 scholarship
award from Pontiac -- will be announced during the CBS broadcast of
the NCAA basketball championship game on April 4.
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![](../images/ads/current/harris-hodnett.gif) |
![](../images/ads/current/bennett%20fm%20large%20display%20ad%20-%20opening%20.gif) "The Pontiac Game Changing
Performance scholarship award program focuses on recognizing the
most dramatic and emotional moments in NCAA athletic competition,"
said Dino Bernacchi, Pontiac advertising manager. "NCAA basketball
is certainly one of the most intense and exciting of all college
sports. And, the connection to Pontiac as the performance division
of GM is unmistakable."
The Pontiac Game Changing
Performance competition is one of the components of the partnership
between Pontiac, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, CBS
and ESPN, and follows a similar, very successful effort earlier this
year centering on NCAA football.
By the end of this year's
tournament, Pontiac, a leading sponsor of NCAA sporting events and
collegiate athletics, will have contributed nearly $305,000 to NCAA
institutions over the past year.
Full program details can be reviewed
by visiting
NCAASports.com/Pontiac.
Pontiac is a division of General
Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) and markets the G6, GTO, Grand Prix,
Vibe and Montana SV6. Pontiac sold more than 474,000 vehicles in
2004, ranking third among GM divisions in total sales. The
V8-powered Grand Prix GXP and the Solstice roadster will be
available this year, along with the G6 coupe GT and G6 GTP. More
information on Pontiac and its products can be found at
www.pontiac.com and in Spanish
at
www.pontiac.com/espanol.
[Pontiac
news release] |