University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Open 76 Classic Against Butler
8/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
It was announced today that the University of Minnesota men’s basketball team will open the Third Annual 76 Classic tournament by facing the Butler Bulldogs. The eight-team tournament, to be played at the Anaheim Convention Center, will feature 12 games over the Thanksgiving holiday (Nov.26-29) and be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPNU.
The Gophers and Bulldogs will play the third game of the opening day and are scheduled to tip at 7:30 p.m. Central on ESPN2. West Virginia and Long Beach State will square off in game one (1:00 p.m.), followed by Texas A&M and Clemson (3:30 p.m.) and UCLA versus Portland (9:30 p.m.)
The two teams that remain undefeated throughout the tournament will face off in a championship match on Sunday, Nov. 29, at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. Complete matchups are listed below.
Seven of the eight 76 Classic teams reached the postseason in 2008-09, including six in the NCAA Tournament: Butler, Clemson, Minnesota, Texas A&M, UCLA and West Virginia. Portland competed in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com tournament. No eight-team, regular-season tournament has ever had more than seven postseason teams from the previous year.
Tickets for the 2009 76 Classic will go on sale in September at www.Ticketmaster.com or by calling (714) 704-2000. Packages include all 12 games for $90 or single-session tickets for $20.
2009 76 Classic Schedule (all times central)
Thu., Nov. 26
West Virginia vs. Long Beach State – 1:00 p.m. – ESPNU
Texas A&M vs. Clemson – 3:30 p.m. – ESPN2
Minnesota vs. Butler – 7:30 p.m. – ESPN2
UCLA vs. Portland – 9:30 p.m. – ESPN2
Fri., Nov. 27
Game 5 – 1:30 p.m. - ESPN
Game 6 – 8:30 p.m. – ESPNU
Game 7 – 6:15 p.m. – ESPNU
Game 8 – 6:30 p.m. – ESPNU
Sun., Nov. 29
Game 9 – 6:30 p.m. – ESPNU
Game 10 – 8:15 p.m. – ESPN2
Game 11 – 8:30 p.m. – ESPNU
Game 12 – 9:00 p.m. (Championship Game) – ESPN2
