August 4, 2009
ESPN Announces Matchups for ESPN Regional Television’s Five 2009 Early Season College Basketball Events
Download tournament logos here.
- Inaugural Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Live on ESPNU and ESPN2
- Charleston Classic Field Includes NIT Champion Penn State
- O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off Features Final Four’s Villanova
- Record-Tying Seven of Eight 76 Classic Teams Participated in 2008-09 Postseason
- Three Top-25 Teams – Florida State, Marquette, Xavier – in Old Spice Classic
ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, announced today the matchups for its five owned and operated early season men’s college basketball events for 2009, including the Charleston Classic; the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off; the 76 Classic; the inaugural Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic; and the Old Spice Classic. The schedule for each is listed below.
Charleston Classic
The field for the second annual Charleston Classic, set for Nov. 19, 20 and 22 at Carolina First Arena in Charleston, S.C., includes Davidson, La Salle, Miami (Fla.), UNC Wilmington, Penn State, South Carolina, USF and Tulane. Four of those teams played in the 2008-09 National Invitation Tournament, including NIT champion Penn State, Davidson, Miami and South Carolina.
In the inaugural Charleston Classic in 2008, Clemson defeated Temple, 76-72, in the championship game. The Tigers, who went on to participate in the NCAA Tournament, also defeated Hofstra and TCU in the Charleston Classic, part of a 16-0 start.
For the complete news release, and for ticket and travel information, visit the official Web site: www.CharlestonClassic.com.
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Date
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Time (ET)
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Game
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Network
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Thu, Nov 19
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1:30 p.m.
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Tulane vs. Miami (Fla.)
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|
|
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4 p.m.
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UNC Wilmington vs. Penn State
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ESPNU
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|
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7 p.m.
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USF vs. Davidson
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|
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9:30 p.m.
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La Salle vs. South Carolina
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ESPNU
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Fri, Nov 20
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12:30 p.m.
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Game 5
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3 p.m.
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Game 6
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|
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7 p.m.
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Game 7
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|
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9:30 p.m.
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Game 8
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|
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Sun, Nov 22
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10 a.m.
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Game 9
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|
|
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12:30 p.m.
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Game 10
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|
|
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3:30 p.m.
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Game 11
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6 p.m.
|
Game 12 (Championship Game)
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ESPN2
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O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off
The 2009 O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off will be held Nov. 19, 20 and 22 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in the cosmopolitan Hato Rey district of San Juan. The field for the third annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off includes Boston University; Dayton; George Mason; Georgia Tech; Indiana; Kansas State; Ole Miss; and 2009 Final Four participant Villanova. Nine of the 12 games will be televised live nationally on ESPNU and ESPN2.
Four of the eight participating teams reached the 2008-09 postseason. Dayton joined Villanova in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the second round, while George Mason and Kansas State played in the National Invitation Tournament.
For the complete news release, and for ticket and travel information, visit the official Web site: www.PuertoRicoTipOff.com.
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Date
|
Time (ET)
|
Game
|
Network
|
|
Thu, Nov 19
|
11:30 a.m.
|
Dayton vs. Georgia Tech
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|
|
|
2 p.m.
|
George Mason vs. Villanova
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ESPNU
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|
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5 p.m.
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Indiana vs. Ole Miss
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ESPN2
|
|
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7:30 p.m.
|
Boston University vs. Kansas State
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|
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Fri, Nov 20
|
1 p.m.
|
Game 5
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ESPNU
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|
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3 p.m.
|
Game 6
|
ESPNU
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|
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6 p.m.
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Game 7
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|
|
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8:30 p.m.
|
Game 8
|
ESPNU
|
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Sun, Nov 22
|
10:30 a.m.
|
Game 9
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
12:30 p.m.
|
Game 10
|
ESPNU
|
|
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5:30 p.m.
|
Game 11
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
8 p.m.
|
Game 12 (Championship Game)
|
ESPN2
|
76 Classic
The third annual 76 Classic is set for Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 26, 27 and 29, at the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center, adjacent to Disneyland. The third-year event will be telecast on ESPN2 and ESPNU. The Big West Conference again will serve as the host for the 76 Classic at the 7,800-seat Anaheim Convention Center, which has served the conference for the past eight years as the site of its postseason tournament.
The 76 Classic field includes Butler; Clemson; Long Beach State; Minnesota; Portland; Texas A&M; UCLA; and West Virginia. Seven of the eight teams reached the postseason in 2008-09, including six in the NCAA Tournament: UCLA and Texas A&M advanced to the second round, while Butler, Clemson, Minnesota and West Virginia were also in the field. No eight-team, regular-season tournament has ever had more than seven teams from the previous postseason. The 2008 Old Spice Classic also had seven; the EA Sports Maui Invitational has had seven postseason teams five times, most recently in 2004.
For the complete news release, and for ticket and travel information, visit the official Web site: www.76Classic.com.
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Date
|
Time (ET/PT)
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Matchup
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Network
|
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Thu, Nov 26
|
2 p.m. / 11 a.m.
|
West Virginia vs. Long Beach State (Game 1)
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ESPNU
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4:30 p.m. / 1:30 p.m.
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Texas A&M vs. Clemson (Game 2)
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ESPN2
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|
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8:30 p.m. / 5:30 p.m.
|
Minnesota vs. Butler (Game 3)
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ESPN2
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|
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10:30 p.m. / 7:30 p.m.
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UCLA vs. Portland (Game 4)
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ESPN2
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Fri, Nov 27
|
2:30 p.m. / 11:30 a.m.
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Game 5
|
ESPN
|
|
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5 p.m. / 2 p.m.
|
Game 6
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
9:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m.
|
Game 7
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
11:30 p.m. / 8:30 p.m.
|
Game 8
|
ESPNU
|
|
Sun, Nov 29
|
2:30 p.m. / 11:30 a.m.
|
Game 9
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
5 p.m. / 2 p.m.
|
Game 10
|
ESPN2
|
|
|
7:30 p.m. / 4:30 p.m.
|
Game 11
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
10 p.m. / 7 p.m.
|
Game 12 (Championship Game)
|
ESPN2
|
Old Spice Classic
The 2009 Old Spice Classic, to be held on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 26, 27 and 29, at the Milk House at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla., will be telecast on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. The fourth annual Old Spice Classic field includes Alabama; Baylor; Creighton; Florida State; Iona; Marquette; Michigan; and Xavier. Six of those eight teams reached the postseason in 2008-09, including four in the NCAA Tournament, and three teams – Florida State, Marquette and Xavier – finished the 2008-09 season in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25.
For the complete news release, and for ticket and travel information, visit the official Web site: www.oldspiceclassic.com.
|
Date
|
Time (ET)
|
Game
|
Network
|
|
Thu, Nov 26
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Noon
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Creighton vs. Michigan
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ESPN2
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|
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2 p.m.
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Marquette vs. Xavier
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ESPN2
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|
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6:30 p.m.
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Alabama vs. Baylor
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ESPN2
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|
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9 p.m.
|
Florida State vs. Iona
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ESPNU
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Fri, Nov 27
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Noon
|
Game 5
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ESPN
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|
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2:30 p.m.
|
Game 6
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
5 p.m.
|
Game 7
|
ESPN2
|
|
|
7:30 p.m.
|
Game 8
|
ESPNU
|
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Sun, Nov 29
|
10 a.m.
|
Game 9
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
Noon
|
Game 10
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
5 p.m.
|
Game 11
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
7:30 p.m.
|
Game 12 (Championship Game)
|
ESPN2
|
Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic
The 2009 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic is set for Dec. 22, 23 and 25 at the Stan Sheriff Center at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa in Honolulu. The first-year event will be telecast on ESPN2 and ESPNU. Tournament sponsors include Hawaiian Airlines and Sheraton Hotels. The Western Athletic Conference will serve as the event’s sponsoring conference.
The inaugural field includes College of Charleston; Hawai’I; Northeastern; Saint Mary’s (Calif.); SMU; UNLV; USC; and Western Michigan. Five of those eight teams reached the postseason in 2008-09, with USC playing in the NCAA Tournament, UNLV and Saint Mary’s in the National Invitation Tournament and College of Charleston and Northeastern playing in the College Basketball Invitational.
Games will be played at the Stan Sheriff Center during the Christmas holiday week, with teams enjoying an off day Thursday, Dec. 24, to watch the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
For the complete news release, and for ticket and travel information, visit the official Web site: www.DiamondHeadClassic.com.
|
Date
|
Time (ET)
|
Game
|
Network
|
|
Tue, Dec 22
|
3 p.m.
|
Northeastern vs. Saint Mary’s
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ESPNU
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|
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5 p.m.
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Western Michigan vs. USC
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
10:30 p.m.
|
SMU vs. UNLV
|
ESPNU
|
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Wed, Dec 23
|
12:30 a.m.
|
College of Charleston vs. Hawai’i
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
3 p.m.
|
Game 5
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
5 p.m.
|
Game 6
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
11:30 p.m.
|
Game 7
|
ESPN2
|
|
Thu, Dec 24
|
2 a.m.
|
Game 8
|
|
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Fri, Dec 25
|
2 p.m.
|
Game 9
|
|
|
|
4:30 p.m.
|
Game 10
|
ESPNU
|
|
|
7:30 p.m.
|
Game 11
|
ESPN2
|
|
|
9:30 p.m.
|
Game 12 (Championship Game)
|
ESPN2
|
ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,000 telecasts of sporting events. Programming includes football, basketball, NCAA events, golf and NHRA events accounting for more than 2,200 live and/or original hours of programming. In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (e.g. – SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, Sun Belt, WAC).
ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events, including collegiate football events: the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Papajohns.com Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); St. Petersburg Bowl; the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards; collegiate basketball events: the 76 Classic (Anaheim, Calif.); Charleston Classic (S.C.); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); All-College Classic (Oklahoma City); SEC/BIG EAST Invitational; ESPNU Road to the Championship and the ESPNU BracketBusters; as well as the ESPN National Golf Challenge presented by Callaway. For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.
Media Contact:
Jenny Zimmerman, ESPN Communications, (407) 566-2213 or jennifer.j.zimmerman@espn.com
