Andy Rautins and the Orange will play Florida in the 2009 SEC/BIG EAST Invitational.
SU To Compete In SEC/BIG EAST Invite
4/22/2009 1:11:15 PM | Men's Basketball
Syracuse will face Florida in the third annual SEC/BIG EAST Invitational next season. The Orange and Gators will square off in Tampa at the St. Pete Times Forum on Dec. 10, 2009.
The two-night men's college basketball event begins with a doubleheader Wednesday, Dec. 9, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The matchups feature Georgia vs. St. John's on ESPN2, followed by Kentucky vs. Connecticut on ESPN.
On Thursday, Dec. 10, in Tampa, DePaul will take on Mississippi State on ESPN2, followed by Syracuse vs. Florida on ESPN. Game times for all four matchups will be announced at a later date.
“Once again, this exciting annual matchup will bring together eight great teams for two consecutive nights of exciting college basketball in two great cities,” said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Regional Television. “We're pleased to present another impressive field of SEC and BIG EAST teams to the fans, and look forward to delivering to the student-athletes, coaches and staffs the great experience of being part of this event in New York and Tampa.”
Six of the eight participating teams reached the postseason in 2008-09, with Connecticut, Mississippi State and Syracuse playing in the NCAA Tournament. The Orange made it to the Sweet Sixteen, while the Huskies advanced to the Final Four. Florida and Kentucky played in the NIT and St. John's played in the College Basketball Invitational.
Syracuse posted a 28-10 overall record this past winter. The Orange defeated Florida in the semifinals of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic in Kansas City on Nov. 24, 89-83. SU has a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Syracuse most recently participated in a conference-challenge format in 1991-92 as part of the ACC/BIG EAST Challenge. SU defeated Florida State that season, 89-71.
Teams invited to participate in the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational are chosen by ESPN in consultation with the conferences and are based on geographic and competitive criteria.
The BIG EAST holds a 5-3 record in the first two years of the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational.
The two conferences have combined to produce four of the last seven NCAA Men's Basketball Champions (Florida - 2007 and 2006; Connecticut - 2004; Syracuse - 2003) and seven of the last 14 national champions (Connecticut - 1999; Kentucky - 1998 and 1996).
Tickets for the 2009 SEC/BIG EAST Invitational are expected to go on sale in early summer. For more information, visit the official Web site: secbigeastinvitational.com.
ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation's largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,000 telecasts of 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.
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