The fourth annual SEC/BIG EAST Invitational will be held Dec. 8 and 11 in Louisville and Pittsburgh.
The two-night men’s college basketball event begins with a doubleheader Wednesday, Dec. 8, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, featuring Arkansas vs. Seton Hall at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, followed by Kentucky vs. Notre Dame at 9:30 on ESPN.
On Saturday, Dec. 11, at the brand new CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Rutgers will take on Auburn on ESPN2, followed by Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee on ESPN. Game times for the Pittsburgh site will be announced at a later date.
“The opportunity to play a Southeastern Conference opponent on national television in a brand new arena is tremendous,” Rutgers coach Mike Rice. “It’s definitely a challenge that we look forward to.”
Three of the SEC teams – Kentucky, Tennessee and Auburn – will play in the event for the second time, while Arkansas and all four BIG EAST teams are making their first SEC/BIG EAST Invitational appearances.
The matchup of Kentucky and Notre Dame revisits a long tradition at Freedom Hall in Louisville. The teams have met 32 times at the historic venue, the first game being played in January 1937. The rivalry was held in Louisville every season from 1962-63 to 1987-88. Kentucky has a 23-9 advantage in games played at Freedom Hall, most recently a 78-69 win Jan. 31, 1988.
In the overall series, Kentucky holds a 41-18 edge on Notre Dame. The Irish won the most recent meeting, a 77-67 decision in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament on March 25, 2009, in South Bend, Ind. Arkansas will be facing Seton Hall for the first time.
Tennessee has won three of four meetings with Pittsburgh, though the teams have not played since Dec. 6, 1998, in Knoxville. The Vols won that game, 56-53. Auburn has won four of five all-time games against Rutgers, most recently an 82-70 victory Dec. 8, 2002, at Auburn.
Five of the eight participating teams reached the postseason in 2009-10, with Kentucky and Tennessee advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight. Pittsburgh and Notre Dame also played in the NCAA Tournament, while Seton Hall played in the NIT.
The BIG EAST holds a 7-5 record in the first three years of the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational. The two conferences have combined to produce four of the last eight NCAA Men’s Basketball Champions (Florida – 2007 and 2006; Connecticut – 2004; Syracuse – 2003) and seven of the last 15 national champions (Connecticut – 1999; Kentucky – 1998 and 1996).
COACHES VS. CANCER ANNOUNCED
Pitt, Texas, Maryland, and Illinois will host Regional Round games of the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
Each institution will host two Regional Round games before heading to Madison Square Garden for the Championship Rounds on Nov. 18-19.
—- REGIONAL ROUNDS —-
| Pittsburgh Regional Rounds Petersen Events Center – Pittsburgh, Pa. Nov. 8 – Rhode Island at Pittsburgh Nov. 10 – Illinois-Chicago at Pittsburgh |
Austin Regional Rounds Frank Erwin Center – Austin, Texas Nov. 8 – Navy at Texas Nov. 10 – Louisiana Tech at Texas |
| College Park Regional Rounds Comcast Center – College Park, Md. Nov. 8 – Seattle at Maryland Nov. 10 – Charleston at Maryland |
Champaign Regional Rounds Assembly Hall – Champaign, Ill. Nov. 8 – UC Irvine at Illinois Nov. 10 – Toledo at Illinois |
