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CELEBRATION, Fla. - ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, announced today the 2007 and 2008 tournament fields for the annual Old Spice Classic to be held on Thanksgiving weekend at the Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports® Complex near Orlando, Fla.
In 2007, the field will include Central Florida, George Mason, Kansas State, North Carolina State, Penn State, Rider, South Carolina and Villanova. Three of those teams qualified for postseason play in 2007 with Villanova competing in the NCAA Tournament and North Carolina State and Kansas State competing in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
"We are pleased with the strength of the fields for the next two years," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN Regional Television. "We established this event as one of the premier college basketball events in the country and look forward to building on its inaugural success."
In 2008, the field will include Gonzaga, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Siena, TennesseeandWichita State.
Five of those ? Memphis, Maryland, Tennessee, Michigan State and Gonzaga ? qualified for the 2007 NCAA Championship. Oklahoma State also qualified for the NIT. Tennessee advanced to the Sweet 16 in NCAA Tournament play and Memphis advanced to the Elite 8 losing to eventual runner-up Ohio State.
Coverage of Old Spice Classic games will air on ESPN2 and ESPNU. All eight teams will play three games in a bracketed-tournament format.
"These are terrific fields that reflect the credibility and brand value of ESPN and Disney's Wide World of Sports," said Rich Ensor, commissioner of the MAAC conference. "This is why the Old Spice Classic has gained such acceptance from coaches and teams in such a short time."
For a full list of teams, travel packages and events for both years, fans can log onto www.oldspiceclassic.com.
The inaugural Old Spice Classic was played in 2006 with Arkansas defeating West Virginia in the championship game at Disney's Milk House. Marist placed third at the inaugural event. For the second consecutive year, the MAAC conference will serve as a partner to ESPN Regional Television in hosting the event.
The tournament is a three-day affair at the Walt Disney World Resort and participating teams are invited to the Walt Disney World Resort Theme Parks and other event functions.
Old Spice Classic (All Games Scheduled at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in the Milk House)
Game 1 Thursday, Nov. 22 12:00 p.m ESPN2
Game 2 Thursday, Nov. 22 2:00 p.m. ESPN2
Game 3 Thursday, Nov. 22 7:00 p.m. ESPN2
Game 4 Thursday, Nov. 22 9:00 p.m. ESPN2
Game 5 Friday, Nov. 23 10:30 a.m. ESPN2
Game 6 Friday, Nov. 23 12:30 p.m. ESPN2
Game 7 Friday, Nov. 23 5:00 p.m. ESPN2
Game 8 Friday, Nov. 23 7:30 p.m. ESPNU
Game 9 Sunday, Nov. 25 11:00 a.m. ESPNU
Game 10 Sunday, Nov. 25 1:00 p.m. ESPNU
Game 11 Sunday, Nov. 25 4:30 p.m. ESPN2
Game 12 Sunday, Nov. 25 6:30 p.m. ESPN2
ABOUT ESPN REGIONAL TELEVISION/EVENT OWNERSHIP
ESPN Regional Television (ERT) is the nation's largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming. ERT produces more than 900 sporting events annually, including football, basketball, NCAA events, golf and NHRA events, which accounts 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 rightsholder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (e.g. ?, BIG EAST and the Big 12).
In addition, ESPN Regional Television owns and operates several other sporting events. Examples include the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, five NCAA post-season Bowl games: the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl, Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, and Papajohns.com Bowl. ERT also owns and operates several other major events including the Old Spice Classic, O'Reilly Auto Parts All College Classic, Dick's Sporting Goods Spartan Clash, ESPNU Invitational Series presented by ConocoPhillips and the ESPN National Golf Challenge presented by Callaway Golf.
ABOUT DISNEY'S WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS® COMPLEX
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney's Wide World of Sports® Complex is the preeminent sports venue for amateur and professional sports in the United States. The sprawling 220-acre state-of-the-art complex features the Milk House, a 30,000-square-foot field house which seats 5,000 for basketball; the 9,500-seat Ballpark at Disney's Wide World of Sports; and the Hess Sports Fields, which include multiple baseball, softball and soccer fields. In addition, the complex has 10 tennis courts, including a stadium court, and a track and field complex. The complex is home to more than 180 amateur and professional sports events each year, including the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, the Major League Baseball Atlanta Braves spring training, the Pop Warner Super Bowl and several AAU National Championship events. The complex is the centerpiece of Disney's Wide World of Sports, which includes 99 holes of golf among six golf courses, including the site of a PGA TOUR event, the Richard Petty Driving Experience, the Walt Disney World Marathon, BASS fishing excursions, plus Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, the two most popular water parks in the United States, and a variety of sports and recreation activities such as boating, fishing, parasailing and surfing. For more information, visit www.disneysports.com
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