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CHICAGO – Illinois State senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell is one of 16 finalists for the State Farm "Dark Horse Dunker" Competition, with the winner earning a spot in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, held at the Final Four, March 31, in Houston. Akoon-Purcell is facing Brandon Conley of Oral Roberts in the competition's first round.
The State Farm "Dark Horse Dunker" contest is a digital media contest that matches up 16 of the top college dunkers in a bracket-style competition to determine the final participant in the Slam Dunk Championship. Fans will determine the winner by voting daily at DarkHorseDunker.com throughout the four-week competition. The athlete with the most votes in each matchup will move on to the next round. Video highlight reels of each competitor on the website will help fans determine their choice.
Voting begins Feb. 10 at noon CT and concludes March 9 at 11:59 a.m. CT. The schedule for each voting round will go as follows:
• Round One: Feb. 10 – 17 (16 Players)
• Quarterfinals: Feb. 17 – 24 (8 Players)
• Semifinals: Feb. 24 – March 2 (4 Players)
• Finals: March 2 – 9 (2 Players)
• Winner Announcement: March 10
The player who ultimately receives the most votes in the final round will be selected to compete in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, an event featuring some of the best college dunkers and three-point shooters in the country, held annually in the Final Four host city. The 2016 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships will air live on ESPN during the Final Four weekend at 8 p.m. CT on March 31 in Houston.
The 16 "Dark Horse Dunkers" participating in the contest were selected by a committee representing the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships. Former Redbird guard Tyler Brown was a "Dark Horse Dunker" finalist in 2013. He advanced to the championship round before narrowly falling to High Point's Corey Law.
The 2016 Round One matchups include:
• Richard McCalop (University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma) vs. Anthony Selby (Kutztown)
• Jarrett Ruffin (Mount Union) vs. Dwaun Anderson (Wagner)
• Tanner Plomb (Army West Point) vs. Michael Hardge (Tarleton State)
• Brandon Conley (Oral Roberts) vs. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (Illinois State)
• Chuks Iroegbu (Northern Illinois) vs. Dom Williams (Indiana University East)
• Yunio Barrueta (Barry) vs. John Brown (High Point)
• Chris Waller (Southwestern College) vs. Javonte Byrd (Northwest Christian)
• Mario Moody (Bethune-Cookman) vs. Wes Washpun (Northern Iowa)
Previous State Farm "Dark Horse Dunker" winners include Davene Carter (Tarleton State) and Antjuan Ball (West Texas A&M) in 2015, Marcus Lewis (Eastern Kentucky) in 2014, Corey Law (High Point) in 2013, James Justice (Martin Methodist College) in 2012, and Jacob Tucker (Illinois College) in 2011. Lewis, Justice and Tucker all went on to win the College Slam Dunk Championship.
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