ESPN Announces Matchups for 2008 Old Spice Classic; Games to Air on ESPN for First Time
MAAC Sports
ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, announced today the schedule of matchups for the 2008 Old Spice Classic, to be held on Thanksgiving weekend at the Milk House at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.
The event will include 12 games in three days, and will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. This year marks the first time the Old Spice Classic will air on ESPN, with two games on the network. Tournament sponsors include Old Spice, ESPNU and Disney’s Wide World of Sports, with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) serving as the event’s sponsoring conference.
The 2008 Old Spice Classic field includes eight teams: Georgetown, Gonzaga, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Siena, Tennessee and Wichita State. Seven of those eight teams qualified for postseason play in 2007-08, including five in the NCAA Tournament and two in the Sweet 16. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format.
In the first round of action, beginning Thursday, Nov. 27, Tennessee will take on Siena; Wichita State will face Georgetown; Maryland will meet Michigan State; and Oklahoma State and Gonzaga will square off. All games on the first day of action will be televised on ESPN2.
“We are excited about the growth of this event and the quality of this field that represents outstanding conferences from around the country,” said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Regional Television. “The Old Spice Classic continues to provide a terrific off-the-court experience for the student-athletes, coaches and staffs. Fans have the opportunity to watch great college basketball games while also enjoying everything the Walt Disney World Resort and Orlando area have to offer.”
The two teams that remain undefeated throughout the tournament will face off in a championship match at 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 25, on ESPN2. Complete matchups are listed below.
The inaugural Old Spice Classic was played in 2006 with Arkansas defeating West Virginia in the championship game at Disney’s Milk House. In 2007, North Carolina State edged Villanova for the Old Spice Classic championship.
"We loved this opportunity when we first signed on, and it just keeps getting better," said James Moorhead, Old Spice Brand Manager. "We think it has quickly become the pre-season basketball event of the season and we're excited to be partnering with ESPN to make that happen."
Tickets to the 2008 Old Spice Classic will go on sale August 15 at www.Ticketmaster.com or by calling 407-839-3900. Fans can also purchase travel packages to the tournament by going to www.AnthonyTravel.com or by calling 1-800-736-6377.
Additional information can be found on the Old Spice Classic Web site at, www.oldspiceclassic.com. For more information on Disney’s Wide World of Sports, visit www.disneysports.com.
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU Tournament Schedule
(Home team listed second; Siena will be home team in each of its games)
Date Time (ET) Game Network
Thurs., Nov. 27 Noon Tennessee vs. Siena ESPN2
2 p.m. Wichita State vs. Georgetown ESPN2
7 p.m. Maryland vs. Michigan State ESPN2
9 p.m. Oklahoma State vs. Gonzaga ESPN2
Fri., Nov. 28 10:30 a.m. Game #5 ESPNU
1 p.m. Game #6 ESPN
5:30 p.m. Game #7 ESPN
8 p.m. Game #8 ESPNU
Sun., Nov. 30 10:30 a.m. Game #9 (7th/8th Place) ESPNU
12:30 p.m. Game #10 (4th/6th Place) ESPNU
5:30 p.m. Game #11 (3rd/5th Place) ESPN2
7:30 p.m. Game #12 (Champion/2nd Place) ESPN2
Additional information, including travel packages, can be found on the Old Spice Classic Web site at www.oldspiceclassic.com. For more information on Disney’s Wide World of Sports, visit www.disneysports.com.
ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 900 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. ? BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, Sun Belt, WAC).
ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several other sporting events, including collegiate football events: the Papajohns.com Bowl; the Bell Helicopter Armed Forced Bowl; the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl; the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, the New Mexico Bowl; the MEAC/SWAC Challenge; and The Home Depot College Football Awards; collegiate basketball events: the O’Reilly Auto Parts All-College Classic (Oklahoma City); the Old Spice Classic (Orlando, Fla.); the BIG EAST/SEC Invitational; the Anaheim Classic (Calif.); the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); and the O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters; as well as the ESPN National Golf Challenge presented by Callaway. For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.
Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex
Opened in 1997 at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex is the premier 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 165,000-square-foot field house which seats 5,000 for basketball; the 9,500-seat Champion Stadium ballpark; the Hess Sports Fields, which include multiple baseball, softball and soccer fields; and the Jostens Center, a multi-sport field house set to open summer 2008. 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, a Tampa Bay Rays regular-season series, the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, the Pop Warner Super Bowl, Chelsea Football Club events and the AAU National Championship events. Please visit www.disneysports.com for more information.