Senior B.J. Raymond is among the key returnees for the Musketeers.

Aug. 6, 2008

CINCINNATI - The Xavier University Musketeers, coming off a record-setting 30-7 season that culminated in the 2008 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, join 2008 National Runner-up Memphis in the eight-team field for this November's O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The brackets, which were announced today, pit Xavier against Missouri in first round play on Thursday, November 20 at 12:30 p.m. on ESPNU. XU will play either Virginia Tech or Fairfield on Friday, November 21 at either 10:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. on ESPNU and could face off against Memphis on Sunday, November 23 on either ESPNU or ESPN2.

COMPLETE BRACKET

Eight conferences will be represented in one of the most diverse lineups of the college basketball season when ESPN Regional Television (ERT) and ESPNU present the 2008 O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off in November. The tournament, presented in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, will feature 12 games at the state-of-the-art Coliseo de Puerto Rico, in the cosmopolitan Hato Rey district of San Juan. All 12 games of the Tip-Off will be shown on ESPN2 or ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network.

The 2008 field includes Xavier (Atlantic 10), Virginia Tech (ACC), USC (Pac-10), Missouri (Big 12), Seton Hall (Big East), Fairfield (MAAC), UT-Chattanooga (Southern) and Memphis (Conference USA). Four of the teams in the lineup participated in postseason play, including three 2008 NCAA tournament teams: Memphis, Xavier and USC, and one NIT team, Virginia Tech.

"We are very excited to bring men's college basketball to Puerto Rico for the second year through this event," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager of ERT. "The combination of eight quality basketball teams and this wonderful setting truly make the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off a one-of-a-kind sporting event."

Memphis finished the 2007-08 season ranked No. 2 in the nation after nearly capturing a perfect regular season at 37-1. The Tigers, ranked second in both the Final AP Poll and the post-tournament USA Today/ESPN Poll, lost to Kansas in the national championship game.

Xavier, which won the Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship for a second straight year, also finished 2007-08 in both national polls, earning a No. 12 ranking in the Final AP Poll and a No. 12 ranking in the post-tournament USA Today/ESPN Poll. The Musketeers entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed and made it to the tournament's Elite Eight with wins over SEC Champion Georgia, Purdue and West Virginia before losing to UCLA in a Regional Final. The USC Trojans, who were a No. 6 seed, lost to Kansas State in the opening round.

Virginia Tech advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2008 National Invitation Tournament. The Hokies finished the season 21-14.

The 2008 Puerto Rico Tip-Off, hosted by the Big East Conference, will be held the week before Thanksgiving, with the opening games set for Thursday, Nov. 20. Second-round games will be played Friday, Nov. 21, and the finals and championship game will be played Sunday, Nov. 23. All 12 games of the Tip-Off will be shown on ESPN2 or ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network.

In the inaugural year of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the Miami Hurricanes rallied from a 22-18 halftime deficit to beat the Providence Friars 64-58 and win the championship.

Tickets for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off - starting at $10 per session and $99 for the entire tournament - will go on sale to the public Sept. 1 and will be available through Ticket Pop at www.ticketpop.com or by calling 1-866-994-0001.

Additional information on the tournament can be found on the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Web site at, www.PuertoRicoTipOff.com.

2008 Schedule:

All times are subject to change.

Follow the Action on ESPNU and ESPN2

Each game of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off will be televised live on an ESPN network. ESPNU will cover most of the tournament, with ESPN2 showing the final two games in prime time on Sunday, Nov. 23.