New York, N.Y. ?“ The Panasonic Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival, presented by Footlocker, will be played at the Garden on December 27 and 28, with a strong four-team field, featuring Columbia University, St. John?™s University, University of Massachusetts, and MAAC member Saint Peter?™s College.

An anticipated component of the 2005-2006 Panasonic Madison Square Garden College Basketball Season, the Holiday Festival tips-off on Tuesday evening, December 27 at 6:30 p.m., when Saint Peter?™s takes on Massachusetts, followed by St. John?™s versus Columbia. On Wednesday, December 28, the consolation game is set for a 6:30 p.m. start, followed by the championship game.

The Peacocks, currently 5-4 overall, will rely on senior guard Keydren Clark, who is averaging 22.9 points per game, and sophomore forward Raul Orta, who is contributing 11.9 points. Sophomore forward Todd Sowell is pulling down a leagu-best 11.0 rebounds a night for Saint Peter?™s. The Minutemen, now 4-3 overall, are led by junior center/forward Rashaun Freeman, who continues to lead UMass in scoring and rebounding at 17.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

Tickets for the Panasonic Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival, presented by Footlocker, are now available at the Garden Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations.