Tix On Sale For SEC/Big East Invitational

Tickets On Sale Monday For SEC/Big East Invitational

Updated 10/4/2010



Tickets for the fourth annual DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational, including two games at Freedom Hall in Louisville, will go on sale Monday, Oct. 4, at 10 a.m. ET.

The two-night men’s college basketball tournament takes place in two cities, with a doubleheader Wednesday, Dec. 8, in Louisville followed by a doubleheader Saturday, Dec. 11, in Pittsburgh. The schedule at Freedom Hall will feature Seton Hall taking on Arkansas at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Notre Dame facing Kentucky at 9:30 p.m.

Fans who wish to attend the Dec. 8 doubleheader at Freedom Hall can purchase tickets online at www.Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or the Kentucky Exposition Center box office at 502-367-5144. Prices are $60, $50, $25 and $15.

ESPN2 will televise Seton Hall vs. Arkansas on Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. ET from Hall, while ESPN will feature Notre Dame vs. Kentucky at 9:30 p.m. Also part of the event is a Dec. 11 doubleheader at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, featuring Auburn vs. Rutgers at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, followed by Tennessee vs. Pittsburgh at 3 p.m. on ESPN.

Teams invited to participate in the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational are chosen by ESPN in consultation with the conferences and are based on geographic and competitive criteria.

Five of the eight participating teams reached the postseason in 2009-10, with Kentucky and Tennessee advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight. Pittsburgh and Notre Dame also played in the NCAA Tournament, while Seton Hall played in the NIT.

The BIG EAST holds a 7-5 record in the first three years of the DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational. The two conferences have combined to produce four of the last eight NCAA Men’s Basketball Champions (Florida - 2007 and 2006; Connecticut - 2004; Syracuse - 2003) and seven of the last 15 national champions (Connecticut - 1999; Kentucky - 1998 and 1996).