MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis will play Oklahoma State on Thanksgiving Day in its opening-round game of the AdvoCare Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Florida outside Orlando. New Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway will be taking his first team to the city he spent six years as an NBA player for the Orlando Magic.
Tipoff will be at either 2:30 or 3 p.m. and the game will be shown on ESPN or ESPN2.
The Tigers, 21-13 last season, are among eight teams participating in the event, which will be held Nov. 22, 23 and 25 at the HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort. In addition to Memphis and Oklahoma State, defending national champion Villanova, Canisius, LSU, College of Charleston, UAB and Florida State are entered.
Other opening-round games – all of which will be played Nov. 22 – are: Villanova vs. Canisius (12:30 p.m.); LSU vs. College of Charleston (6 p.m.) and UAB vs. Florida State (8 or 8:30 p.m.).
The Memphis-Oklahoma State winner will meet the Villanova-Canisius winner at 10:30 a.m. Friday on either ESPN or ESPN2. The Memphis-Oklahoma State loser will play at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN 3. Each team is guaranteed to play three games.
The Memphis-Oklahoma State game is a rematch of the 2013 title game, which the Tigers won, 73-68, when the event was known as the Old Spice Classic.
Oklahoma State will be in its second season under coach Mike Boynton. The Cowboys won 21 games last season, reached the third round of the NIT and recorded a school-record four wins over Top 10 teams.
The Tigers return four starters led by senior guard Jeremiah Martin. Martin ranked second in the American Athletic Conference with an 18.9 scoring average and earned second-team all-conference honors. Memphis closed last season by winning seven of nine games and reaching the semifinals of the AAC Championship, also held in Orlando.
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