Men's Basketball: WVU to Play in Orlando Tourney

ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, Inc., will own and operate The ESPNU Classic, a newly created eight-team, 12-game college basketball tournament to be played over three days Thanksgiving weekend at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla. The announcement was made by Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Regional Television and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Commissioner Rich Ensor. The MAAC will serve as the sponsoring conference of the event.
The inaugural tournament field will feature a number of top quality teams: Arkansas, Marist, Minnesota, Montana, Southern Illinois, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Western Michigan. The tournament will feature four games on each day with each team playing daily. The two undefeated teams will face off in a championship match on the final day of competition, while the remaining teams will play in consolation games. Team pairings and game times will be determined on a later date. The entire competition, which will take place Nov. 23, 24 and 26, will be televised live with nine games on ESPN2 and three on ESPNU.
"I am certainly impressed with the quality of teams appearing in this tournament, especially in its first year of existence," says WVU head coach John Beilein. "With the competition and ESPN television exposure, it will be a great experience for our team."