Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball to play in Thanksgiving tournament in Orlando
05/18/2006 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
May 18, 2006
The Southern Illinois University men's basketball team may get a re-match with West Virginia early next season.
The Mountaineers eliminated the Salukis in the first round of March's NCAA Tournament. However, both teams are slated to play in the inaugural ESPNU Classic, an eight-team, 12-game tournament to be played during Thanksgiving weekend at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.
The rest of the field features Arkansas, Marist, Minnesota, Montana, Virginia Tech and Western Michigan. Pairings will be announced at a later date.
Nine of the 12 games will be televised on ESPNU, with the remaining three, including the championship game, on ESPN2.
The tournament will feature four games on each day (Nov. 23, 24 and 26) with each team playing daily.
"We're very excited to play in this tournament," Saluki head coach Chris Lowery said. "It's a very competitive field, with good coaches and good players. It's also a great opportunity for our fans to see us play, whether they come watch it on vacation or watch it on television."
Tickets for The ESPNU Classic will be available to the general public in August at Ticketmaster outlets and Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex box office. In July, special travel packages will be available for fans of the participating teams coming to the Orlando area for the event.
ESPN Regional Television will be responsible for The ESPNU Classic's organization, operation, sponsorship, marketing efforts and more. Under the direction of ESPN Regional Television, Disney's Wide World of Sports will provide marketing, management and game day operations support for the ESPNU Classic. Additional details, including sponsorship, are to be finalized.
Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex is a top venue for amateur and professional sporting events and hosts more than 170 sporting events each year, including the Tampa Bay Bucs training camp, the Atlanta Braves spring training, the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, the Pop Warner Super Bowl and several AAU National Championships. The 220-acre state-of-the-art facility houses a 9,500-seat ballpark, a 5,000-seat fieldhouse, several multi-purpose playing fields, a track and field arena, a tennis stadium, an expansive weight room and office space.
"This new tournament only adds to the long list of premium, nationally-recognized sports events taking place at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex,'' said Reggie Williams, Vice President of Disney Sports Attractions. "With the tremendous exposure of ESPN Regional and the unique event management expertise that Disney is known for, there is every reason to believe that this tournament will quickly develop a rich tradition and a distinctive presence within the landscape of major men's college basketball."
