Oklahoma vs. Houston and Oklahoma State vs. New Mexico set for Dec. 17 at Oklahoma City Arena

The 76th annual All-College Basketball Classic will be held Saturday, Dec. 17 at the Oklahoma City Arena in Oklahoma City. The doubleheader will feature Oklahoma against Houston as well as Oklahoma State vs. New Mexico. Start times and ESPN television information will be released at a later date.

The All-College Basketball Classic is the world’s oldest basketball tournament, predating the NCAA, NBA, NIT (National Invitation Tournament) and NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) events. It has had a doubleheader format since 2001. Last December, Cincinnati defeated Oklahoma 66-56, while Oklahoma State beat Alabama 68-60.

“The All-College Classic will once again feature a field that is worthy of the nation’s oldest basketball tournament,” said Tim Brassfield, executive director, Oklahoma City All Sports Association. “With the Oklahoma and Oklahoma State bringing in programs that are definitely moving upward, to compete against two teams with tremendous basketball heritage, this year’s event should be really special. For the 76th time, fans will focus on this tradition-rich holiday classic in downtown Oklahoma City.”

Oklahoma State finished the 2010-11 season with a 20-14 record, advancing to the second round of the NIT. The Cowboys have won eight of their last 10 games at the All-College Basketball Classic. Oklahoma State has a 1-2 record all-time against New Mexico, with the Cowboys winning the last meeting in the first round of the 1991 NCAA Championship. The Lobos finished last season with a 22-13 record, also reaching the second round of the NIT.

“The All-College Basketball Classic has always been a great event for us,” said Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford. “It comes against quality opponents in front of terrific crowds. It’s a great opportunity to get into Oklahoma City and be a part of a tournament that has an incredible history and tradition. New Mexico is going to be one of the top teams in the country next season.”

“We very much appreciate the opportunity that ESPN has granted our program,” said New Mexico head coach Steve Alford. “We are fully aware we are playing an outstanding team in Oklahoma State, but we are excited about the challenge.  It is also a great game for our president as Dr. David Schmidly has served as president of both Oklahoma State and New Mexico.”

Oklahoma has won 15 of its last 18 games at the All-College Basketball Classic. The Sooners finished with a 14-18 record in 2010-11. Oklahoma holds a 1-2 all-time record against Houston, most recently a 100-93 loss at the 2009 Great Alaska Shootout. The Cougars finished 12-18 last season.

“The All-College Basketball Classic certainly brings back warm memories,” said Oklahoma first-year head coach Lon Kruger. “As a coach at Florida, our team participated in the tournament in 1995. It was a first-class experience then and the event has improved since that time. Houston will be a challenge, as coach (James) Dickey has done an outstanding job everywhere he’s been.”

“We are excited about the honor and opportunity to participate in the historic All-College Basketball Classic,” said Houston head coach James Dickey. “ESPN and the Oklahoma City All Sports Association do a wonderful job with the teams. Playing the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City will be a tremendous challenge for our young team.”

“We are excited to bring these two teams to Oklahoma City to face the Sooners and the Cowboys,” said Clint Overby, senior director, events, ESPN Regional Television. “This basketball tournament is the longest running of its kind and we are proud to work with the Oklahoma City All Sports Association and the respective schools in hosting this event.”

The All-College Basketball Classic is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN. Tickets for the event will go on sale in the fall. For more information on the event, go to https://tinyurl.com/3h5vbpz and for event updates, follow www.twitter.com/espnplus.

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 (e.g. – SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC).

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events, including collegiate football events: Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas); BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.) and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards. Collegiate basketball events: 76 Classic (Anaheim, Calif.); Champions Classic (Madison Square Garden; debuts 2011); Charleston Classic (S.C.); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); All-College Basketball Classic (Oklahoma City), BracketBusters. In addition, ERT also owns the ESPNU Warrior Classic (Lacrosse), the Hawaiian Islands Invitational (Soccer) and the ESPN National Golf Challenge. For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.

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