From ESPN:
ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, announced today seven of the eight teams in the field for the 2009 O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, to be held Nov. 19-22 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 will include UAB, Dayton, George Mason, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas State and 2009 Final Four participant Villanova. The eighth team will be announced at a later date.
Five of the seven teams announced reached the postseason this year. Villanova and Dayton played in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, with the Flyers advancing to the second round. The Wildcats, a No. 3 seed, will face No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Final Four on Saturday, April 4, in Detroit. UAB, George Mason and Kansas State played in the National Invitation Tournament.
“With the announcement this year’s field, we couldn’t be more thrilled with the continued quality of this event,” said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Regional Television. “Coming off of last year’s event that placed five teams in the NCAA Tournament and one in the NIT, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off is quickly being recognized as one the premier events in college basketball.”
The 2009 O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, a bracket-format tournament, will feature 12 games in three days, Nov. 19 -22. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 22.
In November, Xavier took home the 2008 Puerto Rico Tip-Off trophy, defeating Memphis 63-58 in the championship game. Both teams went on to be nationally ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll throughout most of the 2008-09 season, with Memphis finishing the regular season ranked No. 2. Xavier will appear in the 2009 Old Spice Classic.
In 2007, the Miami Hurricanes won the inaugural O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
Additional information, including travel packages, can be found on the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off Web site at www.PuertoRicoTipoff.com.