April 9, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF men's basketball team will play close to home this Thanksgiving as the Golden Knights will participate in the 2007 Old Spice Classic at Disney's Wide World of Sports, ESPN Regional Television, Inc. announced on Monday. The Golden Knights, who went 22-9 in 2006-07, are one of eight teams in the tournament field.
In addition to UCF, George Mason, Kansas State, NC State, Penn State, Rider, South Carolina and Villanova will compete at the tournament, which begins Thursday, Nov. 22. All 12 games at the event will air nationally on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
"This tournament is one of the top events in the nation and we are very excited to be a part of it," said UCF head coach Kirk Speraw. "Not only will we have a chance to play close to home, we will be able to showcase UCF basketball to the country on ESPN2 and ESPNU."
Three of the squads in the Old Spice Classic field qualified for postseason play in 2007, with Villanova competing at the NCAA Tournament and NC State and Kansas State appearing in the National Invitation Tournament.
The event made its debut in 2006 and Arkansas defeated West Virginia in the title game. Each team at the tournament will play three games at Disney's Milk House. After beginning on Nov. 22, contests are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 25.
ESPN Regional Television hosts the event along with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Participating teams are invited to the Walt Disney World Resort Theme Parks and other event functions.
In only their second campaign in the league, the Golden Knights finished second in Conference USA this past year. Following the regular season, Speraw was named the C-USA Coach of the Year. UCF has averaged 21 victories in the last five years. The Golden Knights will return three starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's squad.
UCF will be playing off-campus in Orlando for the first time since 1990, when the program hosted the Red Lobster Classic at the Orlando Arena.
Tournament matchups will be announced at a later date.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel, log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports.