The UTEP men’s basketball team has been assigned to face Wake Forest in opening round action of the Gildan Charleston Classic on Thursday, Nov. 17 in Charleston, S.C.
The Miners (19-14 last season) and the Demon Deacons (11-20) will square off at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time (11:30 a.m. Mountain) at TD Arena. The game will be shown on ESPN3.
Other first-round matchups are defending national champion Villanova versus Western Michigan at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Mississippi State versus UCF at 5 Eastern, and Boise State versus Charleston at 7 Eastern.
The Miners are on the same side of the bracket as Villanova and Western Michigan. UTEP will play a total of three games in the tournament, including on Nov. 18 and Nov. 20. The championship game is on Nov. 20 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time (ESPN2).
UTEP and Wake Forest have met twice previously with the series tied 1-1. The Miners beat the Demon Deacons, 90-75, in the Sun Carnival Classic Tournament on Dec. 28, 1984 in El Paso. Wake Forest topped UTEP, 82-79, in the 76 Classic at Anaheim on Nov. 28, 2008. The 19th-ranked Demon Deacons were led by current Indiana Pacer Jeff Teague, who scored 29 points, while Stefon Jackson tallied 31 points for the Miners.
Additional information, including travel packages, can be found on the Gildan Charleston Classic website.
Tickets for the 2016 Gildan Charleston Classic – to be held Nov. 17, 18 and 20, at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C. – are on sale now through the College of Charleston ticket office. The ninth annual Gildan Charleston Classic features an eight-team field, including Boise State, College of Charleston, Mississippi State, UCF, UTEP, defending national champion Villanova, Wake Forest and Western Michigan
From July 1 to August 1, fans can purchase an early bird all-session ticket for $90 (regularly $100). Fans also have the option to purchase a “fan pack” for $60. The fan pack allows fans to attend the three sessions their team will play in over the three-day event (six games total).
Starting August 1, all-session tickets (12 games) can be purchased for $100 each, or single-session tickets (two games) for $22 each. Tickets are available at www.CharlestonClassic.com or by calling the College of Charleston box office at (843) 953-2632.
The 2016 Gildan Charleston Classic will feature a bracket format with 12 games over three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through the bracket. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship game on the final day of competition.
This will be the ninth year that Charleston has hosted the tournament. Charleston has been named the “Top U.S. City” and “Second Best City in the World” by Condé Nast Traveler 2014 Readers’ Choice Awards. In 2015 Charleston was also voted the “Top City in the U.S. and Canada” in the Travel + Leisure for the third consecutive year.
Fans can purchase travel packages that include official hotel accommodations by going tohttp://www.anthonytravel.com/
