Bracket Announcement Press Release
AdvoCare Invitational
November 22, 23 & 25
HP Field House (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.)
The AdvoCare Invitational is headlined by reigning national champion Villanova. Elite Eight squad Florida State and CAA champion Charleston highlight the bottom half of the bracket along with LSU’s top-five recruiting class. New Memphis coach Penny Hardaway will return to the Orlando area after playing for the Orlando Magic for six seasons.
- Canisius will make its first appearance in the AdvoCare Invitational
- College of Charleston made its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 2018, after winning the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship
- Florida State advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2018 Tournament as a No. 9 seed
- LSU will make its second AdvoCare Invitational appearance (2013)
- Memphis makes its first appearance in the AdvoCare Invitational since 2013, when it defeated Oklahoma State to win the event’s championship
- Oklahoma State won 21 games in head coach Mike Boykin’s first season and advanced to the NIT Quarterfinals
- UAB has won at least 20 games in three of the past four seasons
- Villanova has won two national championships and two BIG EAST championship titles in the last three seasons
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Network |
| Thu, Nov. 22 | 1:30 p.m. | Villanova vs. Canisius | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m. | Oklahoma State vs. Memphis | ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | Charleston vs. LSU | ESPN2 or ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. | UAB vs. Florida State | ESPN2 or ESPNU | |
| Fri, Nov 23 | 11:30 a.m. | Semifinal #1 | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 1:30 p.m. | Consolation #1 | ESPN3 | |
| 4:30 p.m. | Semifinal #2 | ESPN2 or ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | Consolation #2 | ESPNU or ESPN3 | |
| Sun, Nov 25 | 10:30 a.m. | 7th Place Game | ESPNU |
| 1 p.m. | 3rd Place Game or Championship | ESPN | |
| 4 p.m. | 3rd Place Game or Championship | ESPN2 | |
| 6:30 p.m. | 5th Place Game | ESPNU |
Non-Bracketed Games: Memphis at LSU (Nov. 13), Furman at Villanova (Nov. 17), Charleston at Oklahoma State (Nov. 18), West Alabama at UAB (Nov. 18), Canisius at Florida State (Nov. 19)
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 32 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 14 college bowl games, 12 college basketball events, a college softball event and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 300-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.
Collegiate Football
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (Houston); AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, Fla.); Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Frisco Bowl (Texas); Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff (Montgomery, Ala.); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Atlanta); Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta)
Collegiate Basketball
AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Fort Bliss, Texas); Charleston Classic (South Carolina); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic Presented by Corona (South Bend, Ind.); Myrtle Beach Invitational (Conway, S.C.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off; State Farm Champions Classic (Indianapolis) and Wooden Legacy (Fullerton, Calif.)
Collegiate Softball
Elite Softball Invitational (Clearwater, Fla.)
For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.
-30-
ESPN Media Contact: Anna Negron at 860-766-2233 or [email protected]; @ItsAnnaNegron