O’Reilly Auto Part Puerto Rico Tip-Off

For the second year in a row, Puerto Rico will be the host of one of the biggest men’s college basketball events. The 2008 O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, or just the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, is a tournament that is held in conjunction with O’Reilly Auto Parts, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, ESPNU and ESPN Regional Television. It will see eight magnificent teams battle it out in a twelve game tournament that will be hosted in the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, in San Juan.

The eight teams that will take part in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off are: Memphis, Xavier, Missouri, Chattanooga, Virginia Tech, Fairfield and Seton Hall. Chattanooga is from the Southern conference, trained by John Shulman and go by the nickname Mocs. Fairfield, or the Fairfield Stags, come from the MAAC conference and have Ed Cooley as their trainer. From Conference USA, the Memphis Tigers will be performing under the watchful eyes of John Calipari; while the Missouri Tigers from Big 12, will have Mike Anderson at their side. Trainer Bobby Gonzales is in charge of the Seton Hall Pirates from the Big East; and Tim Floyd and his USC Trojans from the Pac-10 conference will also be looking for victory at the tournament. The last two teams are the Virginia Tech Hokies from the Atlantic Coast Conference and trained by Seth Greenberg; and Xavier, or Musketeers, who have Sean Miller as their trainer and are from the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The opening games of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off will be held on 20 November 2008, with the second rounds taking place on 21 November 2008, and the finals will set the Coliseo de Puerto Rico on fire on 23 November 2008. Last year’s winners, the Miami Hurricanes, saw to a nail biting final game and it is hoped that this year will be just as exciting. The other three legs of the ESPN Regional Television basketball events for college basketball will be the Charleston Classic from the 14th to the 16th of November, while the Old Spice Classic and the Anaheim Classic will take place from the 27th to the 30th of November 2008.

All the games will be aired on the ESPN network, but it is of course more thrilling to watch it live, and sports fans are recommended to get their tickets before they are all sold out. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off is a wonderful event for Puerto Rico and exposes the local public and basketball enthusiasts to a world of spectacular sporting action.