Nov. 18, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - When the Knights play at the Old Spice Classic later this week, UCF will have the opportunity to compete against some of the nation's elite teams. Three of the eight squads at the tournament are currently nationally-ranked, including the Knights' first round opponent - No. 23 Villanova.
UCF senior guard Chip Cartwright (Houston, Texas/Phillis Wheatley) feels that quality of play at the event, which will be held at Disney's Wide World of Sports in nearby Lake Buena Vista, will help the Knights improve as a team.
"When you play teams with rankings, it lets you compare yourself with the best," he said. "Playing those kind of teams helps us get better."
Five teams in the inaugural Old Spice Classic last year played in the postseason in 2007. Several Knights, including senior guard Dave Noel (Boynton Beach, Fla./Boynton Beach) watched the event on television and were impressed with the caliber of play.
The 2006 event featured squads like Arkansas, Marist, Southern Illinois, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
"I actually watched it (the tournament) last year at home and I wondered in the back of my mind how great it would be for us to be in that tournament," said Dave Noel. "I was so happy when coach (Kirk Speraw) told us that we would play in it. We'll have the opportunity to prove how good UCF is and we need to take advantage of it."
Tickets for the tournament are available at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Season tickets for UCF home games are available by calling 407-UCF-1000. Single-game tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and at the UCF box office at Bright House Networks Stadium.
UCF is 2-0 on the season after topping national power Nevada and Norfolk State at the new UCF Arena. The Knights open the Old Spice Classic on Thanksgiving against Villanova at 7 p.m.
The contest will be televised live nationally on ESPN2.
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. Also check out www.ucfphotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Notes: UCF is the first Conference USA team to participate in the Old Spice Classic. Memphis will play in the event next year... Arkansas claimed the tournament title in 2006. In March, the Razorbacks earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.