Aug. 4, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Aug 4, 2009 - Penn State will take on UNC Wilmington at 4:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPNU in the first round of the 2009 Charleston Classic, ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, announced today.
The Charleston Classic, set for Nov. 19, 20 and 22 at Carolina First Arena in Charleston, S.C. will feature an eight-team field including Davidson, La Salle, Miami (Fla.), UNC Wilmington, South Carolina, USF and Tulane. Four of the teams in the field played in the 2008-09 National Invitation Tournament, including NIT champion Penn State, Davidson, Miami and South Carolina.
In the other first round of action Thursday, Nov. 19, Tulane will take on Miami at 1:30 p.m. (ET); USF will meet Davidson at 7 p.m. (ET); and La Salle and South Carolina will square off at 9:30 p.m. (ET) live on ESPNU. A first round victory would move the Nittany Lions into a second round match-up with the winner of Tulane vs. Miami.
Penn State and UNC Wilmington have never met. The Seahawks, who have made four NCAA appearances this decade, posted a 7-25 record last season.
The second annual Charleston Classic, a bracket-format tournament, will feature 12 games in three days, Nov. 19-22. Each team will compete in one game per day, with the two teams that remain undefeated facing off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 22. The championship game will be televised live at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Southern Conference (SoCon) will again serve as the event's sponsoring conference.
-NITTANY LIONS-