BATON ROUGE – The LSU men’s basketball team will be part of the eight-team field for the 2011 Charleston Classic to be contested Nov. 17, 18 and 20, 2011 at Carolina First Arena in Charleston, S.C.
The field for the fourth annual tournament in addition to the Tigers includes Georgia Tech, Saint Joseph’s, Seton Hall, Tulsa, Virginia Commonwealth, Western Kentucky and Baylor. The Bears are currently ranked 14th in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.
Five of the eight team reached the 2010 postseason: Baylor and Georgia Tech played in the NCAA Championship, while Seton Hall and Tulsa earned National Invitation Tournament berths. Virginia Commonwealth won the College Basketball Invitational and LSU was the 2009 Southeastern Conference Champions.
The 2011 Charleston Classic, a bracket-format tournament, will feature 12 games over the three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011.
The Southern Conference will serve as the event’s sponsoring conference for the fourth straight year.
Atlantic Coast Conference teams won the first two Charleston Classics, with Miami (Fla.) winning in 2009 and Clemson taking the title in the inaugural tournament in 2008. The 2010 edition begins on Nov. 18.
This family-friendly tournament offers the teams a week of practice, play and experiences in-and-around historic Charleston. Addition information, including travel packages, can be found on the Charleston Classic Web site at www.charlestonclassic.com
The Charleston Classic is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN.
LSU and other SEC teams are expected to be invited and participate in more ERT events in future years as part of the league’s 15-year agreement with ESPN.