Aug. 4, 2009

CINCINNATI --- ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, announced today the schedule of matchups for the 2009 Old Spice Classic, to be held on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 26, 27 and 29, at the Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.

The event will include 12 games in three days and will be telecast on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. Tournament sponsors include Old Spice, ESPNU and Disney's Wide World of Sports. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) again will serve as the event's sponsoring conference. The fourth annual Old Spice Classic field includes eight teams: Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Florida State, Iona, Marquette, Michigan and Xavier. Six of the eight teams reached the postseason in 2008-09, including four in the NCAA Tournament.

Xavier has enjoyed some recent success in high-profile regular season tournaments. XU captured the Puerto Rico Tip-Off last season with wins over Missouri, Virginia Tech and a championship game win over then-No. 13 Memphis. The season before XU captured the Chicago Challenge with a championship game victory over then-No. 8 Indiana.

First-year Xavier head coach Chris Mack returns two starters, junior guard Dante' Jackson and senior forward/center Jason Love, from last year's 27-8 team that won its third straight Atlantic 10 Conference Regular Season Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Among the other weapons at Mack's disposal this season is sophomore guard Jordan Crawford, a former starting guard at Indiana who sat out last season due to transfer regulations.

In the first round of action on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, Creighton (2009 NIT 2nd Round) will take on Michigan (2009 NCAA 2nd Round) at noon; Xavier (2009 NCAA Sweet 16) will face Marquette (2009 NCAA 2nd Round) at 2 p.m.; Alabama will meet Baylor (2009 NIT Runner-Up) at 6:30 p.m.; and Florida State (2009 NCAA 1st Round) will square off with Iona at 9 p.m. The first three games will be televised live on ESPN2, while Florida State vs. Iona will air live on ESPNU. Xavier will face either Creighton or Michigan in Friday afternoon action.

There are no games scheduled on Saturday. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout the tournament will face off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Complete matchups are listed here in a PDF of the 2009 Old Spice Classic Bracket.

The inaugural Old Spice Classic was played in 2006, with Arkansas defeating West Virginia in the championship game at Disney's Milk House. In 2007, North Carolina State edged Villanova for the Old Spice Classic championship. Last season, Gonzaga held off Tennessee to win the title.

Tickets to the 2009 Old Spice Classic will go on sale Monday, Aug. 17, at www.Ticketmaster.com or by phone at (407) 839-3900. Fans can purchase official travel packages, which include game tickets and official team hotel accommodations, by going to www.anthonytravel.com (search Old Spice) or by calling 1-888-632-6951. Additional information can be found on the Old Spice Classic's official Web site: www.oldspiceclassic.com.

For more information on Disney's Wide World of Sports, visit www.disneysports.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. ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events, including the Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.) and the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan). For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.

Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex Opened in 1997 at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex is the leading multi-sport venue for amateur and professional sports in the United States. The sprawling 220-acre state-of-the-art complex features the Milk House, a 165,000-square-foot field house which seats 5,500 for basketball; the 9,500-seat Champion Stadium ballpark; the Hess Sports Fields, which include multiple baseball, softball and soccer fields; and the Jostens Center, an 80,000 square foot multi-sport field house. In addition, the complex has 11 tennis courts, including a stadium court, and a track and field complex. The complex is home to more than 180 amateur and professional sports and entertainment events each year, including the Major League Baseball Atlanta Braves spring training, the Pop Warner Super Bowl, Chelsea Football Club events, the Special Olympics Florida Summer Games and AAU National Championship events. Please visit www.disneysports.com for more information.