Wednesday, July 05, 2006

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida men's basketball team will travel to the Big Apple to open its 2006-07 season in November when the Ospreys square off against traditional Big East Conference power St. John's in the opening round of the 2006 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

St. John's will host four games at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y., on Nov. 10-11, squaring off against the Ospreys in one opening round game while Navy and Loyola (Md.) do battle in the site's other contest. The winner of the St. John's bracket advances to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 16-17 to compete against winners from three other regional sites.

The tournament field consists of 16 teams, with opening-round games also scheduled at regional sites in Austin, Texas, College Park, Md., and East Lansing, Mich.

"We are honored to be in this prestigious tournament," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "Being at the New York site playing against St. John's will give tremendous exposure to our program in the northeast. As we continue our transition into Division I, being invited to play in a tournament of this caliber is another step in the right direction for us. We are honored to be in the same company as Loyola, Navy and St. John's. We will do our best to go up there and compete."