ESPN Regional Television, a subsidiary of ESPN, announced today the eight teams in the field for the 2010 Old Spice Classic, to be held on Thanksgiving weekend at the Milk House at Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex near Orlando, Fla. 

The field for the fifth annual Old Spice Classic will include Boston College, California, Georgia, Manhattan, Notre Dame, Temple, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. California is ranked No. 23 in this week’s ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, while Notre Dame and Texas A&M also received votes. 

Five of the eight teams announced reached the 2008-09 NCAA Tournament: Boston College, California, Temple, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. Notre Dame played in the NIT. 

“The Old Spice Classic has established itself as a premiere early season college basketball event, and we are excited to welcome another stellar and competitive field in 2010,” said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Regional Television. “We look forward to bringing great basketball to the fans, as well as providing a memorable experience for the teams, coaches and staffs, and their families.” 

The 2010 Old Spice Classic will feature 12 games through three days, Nov. 25, 26 and 28. Sponsors include Old Spice, ESPNU and Disney’s Wide World of Sports. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) will serve as the event’s sponsoring conference for the fifth straight year. 

“In basketball circles, the Old Spice Classic has gained a deserved reputation as one of the top collegiate event during the holiday season,” Richard J. Ensor, Commissioner of the MAAC, said. “The event combines top ranked teams, world-class facilities, 24/7 media coverage and the magic of a Disney World visit. The MAAC is pleased to continue its sponsorship of the Old Spice Classic.” 

The Old Spice Classic features four games each day. 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. 28. 

The tournament is a weekend-long affair at the Walt Disney World Resort, and participating teams are invited to the Walt Disney World Resort Theme Parks and other event functions. 

Previous winners of the Old Spice Classic: Gonzaga in 2008, North Carolina State in 2007 and Arkansas in 2006. 

Additional information can be found on the Old Spice Classic Web site at www.oldspiceclassic.com. For more information on the Wide World of Sports, visit www.disneysports.com.

ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,000 telecasts of sporting events. Programming includes football, basketball, NCAA events, golf and NHRA events accounting for more than 2,200 live and/or original hours of programming. In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (e.g. – SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC). 

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events, including collegiate football events: the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Papajohns.com Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); St. Petersburg Bowl; the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards; collegiate basketball events: the 76 Classic (Anaheim, Calif.); Cancun Governor’s Cup; Charleston Classic (S.C.); DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational; ESPNU Road to the Championship (Women; San Antonio); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); SONIC All-College Basketball Classic (Oklahoma City) and BracketBusters; as well as the ESPN National Golf Challenge presented by Callaway. For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com. 

Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex

Opened in 1997 at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex is a leading sports and entertainment venue for amateur and professional sports in the United States. The sprawling 220-acre state-of-the-art complex features the Milk House, a 165,000-square-foot field house which seats 5,500 for basketball; the 9,500-seat Champion Stadium ballpark; the Hess Sports Fields, which include multiple baseball, softball and soccer fields; and the Jostens Center, an 80,000 square foot multi-sport field house. In addition, the complex has 11 tennis courts, including a stadium court, and a track and field complex. The complex is home to more than 180 amateur and professional sports and entertainment events each year, including the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, the Major League Baseball Atlanta Braves spring training, a Tampa Bay Rays regular-season series, the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, the Pop Warner Super Bowl, Chelsea Football Club events, the Special Olympics Florida Summer Games and the AAU National Championship events. Please visit www.disneysports.com for more information. 

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