The brackets for ESPN Events’ early-season basketball tournaments, beginning in November and running through the Christmas holiday, have been announced. Three Big 12 squads – Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech – will take part in three of the tournaments, broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.
The Cowboys will face Towson in their first game at the Gildan Charleston Classic, slated for a 1:00 pm CT tipoff on Thursday, November 19. The winner will play either George Mason or Mississippi. Other teams at the event include Bradley, Long Beach State, Seton Hall and Virginia. OSU will be led by senior guard Phil Forte, who is among the top returning long-range threats in the Big 12.
The Red Raiders will travel to Puerto Rico to face Utah on November 19, with the victor matching up with either Miami or Mississippi State. Butler, Minnesota, Missouri State and Temple are on the other side of the bracket. Tech is expecting five of its top six scorers back on the court in 2015-16 in head coach Tubby Smith’s third season in Lubbock.
The Sooners will travel to Hawaii for the Christmas holiday to compete in the Diamond Head Classic. OU will play Washington State in its first game, slated for December 22 at 10:00 pm CT. Oklahoma would then see either Hawaii or Northern Iowa in its next game, with Auburn, BYU, Harvard and New Mexico facing off on the other side of the bracket. The Sooners are a consensus top 10 team in most early preseason rankings and will be led by returning Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield.
Each tournament will also be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
The eight-team bracket-format tournaments feature 12 games over three days. The teams compete once per day, advancing with a victory. The two teams that remain undefeated will face off in a championship game.