Long Beach State will play West Virginia in the opening game of the 2009
76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center on Thanksgiving weekend, announced today by ESPN Regional Television (ERT). The Big West Conference serves as host of the third-year event, which included conference members UC Irvine (2007) and Cal State Fullerton (2008) in the initial two seasons.
The 49ers and Mountaineers tip off the Thanksgiving Day festivities at 11:00 a.m. (PT) on Thursday, Nov. 26 on ESPNU. The second game of the day features the other two teams on LBSU's side of the bracket - Texas A&M and Clemson. Those two schools get underway at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Both of Thursday's evening session games will also be televised on ESPN2. Minnesota and Butler battle at 5:30 p.m., followed by UCLA and Portland at 7:30 p.m.
Seven of the eight teams in the field advanced to postseason play in 2008-09, including six in the NCAA Tournament.
Long Beach State finished 15-15 overall and tied for second place in the Big West (10-4) in 2008-09. The 49ers had a nine-win improvement from the 2007-08 campaign. They return four starters and eight letterwinners, including 2008-09 All-Big West First Team selection and Freshman of the Year Larry Anderson.
West Virginia compiled a 23-12 record and went 10-8 in the Big East Conference last season. The Mountaineers lost to Dayton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
USC won the inaugural event in 2007 with a victory over Southern Illinois in the championship game. Wake Forest earned the 2008 crown, defeating Baylor in the title game.
The complete 2009
76 Classic schedule and ESPN release may be accessed by clicking on the PDF link at the top.
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU Tournament Schedule
(Home team listed second; Long Beach State will be home team in each of its games)
| Date |
Time (ET/PT) |
Matchup |
Network |
| Thu, Nov 26 |
2 p.m. / 11 a.m. |
West Virginia vs. Long Beach State (Game 1) |
ESPNU |
| |
4:30 p.m. / 1:30 p.m. |
Texas A&M vs. Clemson (Game 2) |
ESPN2 |
| |
8:30 p.m. / 5:30 p.m. |
Minnesota vs. Butler (Game 3) |
ESPN2 |
| |
10:30 p.m. / 7:30 p.m. |
UCLA vs. Portland (Game 4) |
ESPN2 |
| Fri, Nov 27 |
2:30 p.m. / 11:30 a.m. |
Game 5 |
ESPN |
| |
5 p.m. / 2 p.m. |
Game 6 |
ESPNU |
| |
9:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
Game 7 |
ESPNU |
| |
11:30 p.m. / 8:30 p.m. |
Game 8 |
ESPNU |
| Sun, Nov 29 |
2:30 p.m. / 11:30 a.m. |
Game 9 |
ESPNU |
| |
5 p.m. / 2 p.m. |
Game 10 |
ESPN2 |
| |
7:30 p.m. / 4:30 p.m. |
Game 11 |
ESPNU |
| |
10 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
Game 12 (Championship Game) |
ESPN2 |