Orange Part of 2019-20 NIT Season Tip-Off

BROOKLYN (March 19, 2019) - The NIT Season Tip-Off will return to Barclays Center for a fifth-straight season during Thanksgiving Week of 2019, and will feature Syracuse, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss and Penn State.

The field includes a pair of 2019 NCAA Tournament selections in the Orange of the ACC (No. 9 Seed, West) and the SEC's Rebels (No. 8 Seed, South), as well as the Cowboys of the Big 12 Conference and the Nittany Lions of the Big Ten.

· Syracuse earned its 40th NCAA Tournament invitation on Selection Sunday. Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim is in his 43rd season in charge of the program at his alma mater. The veteran court boss has guided Syracuse to 34 NCAA Tournament visits, including five Final Fours and the NCAA National Championship in 2003. Boeheim is the second-winningest coach in Division I history and ranks fourth in NCAA Tournament victories.

· Ole Miss is currently in its first season under 2019 SEC Coach of the Year Kermit Davis, who has led his Rebels to 20 victories thus far in 2018-19 and the program's first NCAA berth since 2015. Ole Miss is no stranger to Brooklyn, having captured the Barclays Center Classic with wins over Georgia Tech and Penn State during the 2013-14 season.

· Oklahoma State is led by Brooklyn native Mike Boynton, who has wasted little time igniting the Cowboy fanbase. Under Boynton, OSU has taken down seven top-25 opponents – four over top-10 teams – and produced a trip to the NIT quarterfinals in 2018. Boynton and the Cowboys recently signed the nation's No. 13-ranked recruiting class and are looking to get the program back into the Final Four for the seventh time in program history.

· Coach Patrick Chambers guided Penn State to a 7-3 record in the final 10 games of the 2019 Big Ten regular season, which included victories over No. 7 Michigan and No. 17 Maryland. In his eight years as head coach, Chambers ranks in the Nittany Lion's top five for wins and has the most wins over ranked teams of any Penn State basketball coach. Chambers led Penn State to the Postseason NIT Championship in 2018.

This fall marks the fifth-straight year at Barclays Center for the NIT Season Tip-Off, which has been played in New York City every November since 1985. The outstanding 2018 field featured four 2019 NCAA Tournament teams in Tennessee (No. 2 Seed, South), NIT Season Tip-Off Champion Kansas (No. 4 Seed, Midwest), Marquette (No. 5 Seed, West) and Louisville (No. 7 Seed, East).

The NIT Season Tip-Off is one of 11 college basketball events owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. The complete field and schedule will be announced at a later date. Ticket on-sale information will be announced at a later date.

About ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 33 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games, the FCS opening-weekend game, 15 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, a college softball event, an esports event and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 375-plus hours of live programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 800,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

About BSE Global:

BSE Global, formerly Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, develops and operates state-of-the-art venues and manages premier sports franchises, delivering dynamic content and experiences for audiences. BSE oversees programming, marketing, sales, and operations for Barclays Center; NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum; and Webster Hall. BSE manages and controls the Brooklyn Nets and its NBA G League team, the Long Island Nets, as well as the business operations of the NHL's New York Islanders.

Barclays Center, which opened on September 28, 2012, offers 17,732 seats for basketball, 15,795 for hockey, and up to 19,000 seats for concerts, and has 101 luxury suites, four bars/lounges, four clubs, and Parm Italian Restaurant & 40/40 CLUB by Tanduay Rum.

NYCB LIVE reopened on April 5, 2017 after undergoing an extensive renovation. The venue offers 14,500 seats for basketball, MMA and boxing, 13,900 for hockey, up to 15,000 for concerts, and 4,500 seats for its theater configuration.

With a focus on emerging businesses, BSE identifies and creates alliances, strategic partnerships and other business opportunities to ensure the success of its assets.

Syracuse University Athletics

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