Miami to Play in 2016 Orlando Tournament
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team will play in the 2016 AdvoCare Invitational, held at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla., next Nov. 24, 25 and 27.
The early-season ESPN event will also feature Florida, Gonzaga, Indiana State, Iowa State, Quinnipiac, Seton Hall and Stanford. Along with No. 15 Miami, No. 4 Iowa State and No. 10 Gonzaga are ranked in the most recent AP poll.
The Canes have taken home the championship trophy in their past two early-season ESPN tournaments, winning the 2014 Charleston Classic and the 2015 Puerto Rico Tip-Off just last week. Miami was 1-2 in the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2012, the same season the Canes won the ACC regular season and tournament championships, and played in the NCAA Sweet 16.
Miami has never played in the Orlando event, previously called the Orlando Classic or the Old Spice Classic.
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates early-season basketball events worldwide beginning in November and running through the Christmas holiday. The Charlotte, N.C., based group manages six multi-team events consisting of the Gildan Charleston Classic, Puerto Rico Tip-Off, DIRECTV Wooden Legacy, AdvoCare Invitational, NIT Season Tip-Off and Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The multi-day, destination events staged from Charleston, S.C., San Juan, Puerto Rico, Orange County, Calif., Orlando and Honolulu are all bracket-format tournaments featuring 12 games over three days. The teams compete once per day, advancing with a victory. The two remaining undefeated teams will face off in a championship game. The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic will be announced in late December surrounding the event.
In its second year under the ESPN Events umbrella, the NIT Season Tip-Off will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The designated home teams will each host two campus-site teams prior to traveling to Brooklyn for the championship round.
In addition to the multi-team tournaments, ESPN Events also manages four premium events including the Armed Forces Classic, State Farm Champions Classic and Jimmy V Men’s and Women’s Classics presented by Corona. The Jimmy V Men’s and Women’s Classics fields will be announced at a later date.
AdvoCare Invitational – Nov. 24, 25 & 27
The AdvoCare Invitational, held at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla., will feature Florida, Gonzaga, Indiana State, Iowa State, Miami (Fla.), Quinnipiac, Seton Hall and Stanford.
• Iowa State stands at No. 4 in the Associated Press poll (Nov. 23), while Gonzaga is ranked No. 10 and Miami (Fla.) is No. 15.
• A two seed, Gonzaga advanced to the to the Elite Eight, in addition to No. 3 seed Iowa State, which played into the second round.
• 2015 NIT title game participants including winner Stanford and runner-up Miami.
• Additional information, including travel packages, can be found on the AdvoCare Invitational website.
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; 13 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Boca Raton, Boise, Birmingham, Dallas-Fort Worth, Albuquerque, St. Petersburg and Las Vegas, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
