Hokie ClubEight conferences will be represented in one of the most diverse lineups of the college basketball season when ESPN Regional Television (ERT) and ESPNU present the 2008 O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off in November. The tournament, presented in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, will feature 12 games at the state-of-the-art Coliseo de Puerto Rico, in the cosmopolitan Hato Rey district of San Juan.
The 2008 field includes Xavier (Atlantic 10), Virginia Tech (ACC), USC (Pac-10), Missouri (Big 12), Seton Hall (BIG EAST), Fairfield (MAAC), UT-Chattanooga (Southern) and Memphis (Conference USA). Four of the teams in the lineup participated in postseason play, including three 2008 NCAA tournament teams: Memphis, Xavier and USC; and one NIT team: Virginia Tech.
"We are very excited to bring men's college basketball to Puerto Rico for the second year through this event," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager of ERT. "The combination of eight quality basketball teams and this wonderful setting truly make the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off a one-of-a-kind sporting event."
Memphis finished the 2007-08 season ranked No. 2 in the nation after nearly capturing a perfect regular season at 37-1. The Tigers played for the national championship, losing to No. 1 Kansas, 75-68.
Xavier, which won the Atlantic 10 championship, also finished 2007-08 in The Associated Press Top 25, ranked No. 8 with a 30-7 record. The Musketeers entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed and made it to the tournament's Elite Eight, but lost to UCLA 76-57. The USC Trojans, who were a No. 6 seed, lost to Kansas State in the opening round.
Virginia Tech advanced to the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament, losing to Ole Miss, 81-72. The Hokies finished the season 21-14.
The 2008 Puerto Rico Tip-Off, hosted by the BIG EAST Conference, will be held the week before Thanksgiving, with the opening games set for Thursday, Nov. 20. Second-round games will be played Friday, Nov. 21, and the finals and championship game will be played Sunday, Nov. 23. All 12 games of the Tip-Off will be shown on ESPN2 or ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network.
In the inaugural year of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the Miami Hurricanes rallied from a 22-18 halftime deficit to beat the Providence Friars 64-58 and win the championship.
The tournament will be one of four ESPN Regional Television college basketball events in November, along with the newly created Charleston Classic, Nov. 14-16 in South Carolina; the Old Spice Classic, Nov. 27-30 at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.; and the Anaheim Classic, Nov. 27-30 in California.
Tickets for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off - starting at $10 per session and $99 for the entire tournament - will go on sale to the public Sept. 1 and will be available through Ticket Pop at www.ticketpop.com or by calling 1-866-994-0001.
Additional information on the tournament can be found on the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Web site at, www.PuertoRicoTipOff.com.