Puerto Rico Tip-Off PDF Bracket
SAN JUAN -- The University of Dayton men's basketball team will open the 2014 Puerto Rico Tip-Off against Texas A&M on ESPNU, it was announced today. ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, announced the matchups for the tournament, to be held Nov. 20, 21 and 23 at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan. 

Dayton will square off against Texas A&M at 10:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 20. 

UD finished 2013-14 ranked 18th in the final USA Today Coaches Poll. UD's 26 wins were the third-most in school history. The Flyers return the bulk of UD's "True Team" 11-man rotation for next year. That includes leading scorer Jordan Sibert (12.2 ppg) at guard and NCAA All-Region selection Dyshawn Pierre (11.2 ppg) at forward.

Texas A&M returns four starters from last year's 18-16 team that reached the CBI quarterfinals. Coach Billy Kennedy is also adding a seven-man recruiting class to his fourth Aggie team.  The two institutions have met only once before in men's basketball.  UD beat A&M on Dec. 21, 1999 at the University of Dayton Arena 81-68.

"It's always exciting to get the matchup every year we've been in an event like Puerto Rico.  It really gets the blood flowing," Flyer coach Archie Miller said.   "I have great respect for Coach Kennedy.  He's a tremendous coach and tremendous person. Texas A&M is going to be a great challenge for us so early in the season, but it's a game and tournament that will prepare us for the rigors of our challenging league schedule."

Dayton and Texas A&M are matched up with the College of Charleston and defending national champion UConn in the top half of the bracket.

Other teams in the field are Boston College, George Mason, New Mexico and West Virginia.

In Archie Miller's three seasons, Dayton is 7-2 in exempt tournaments with wins over Wake Forest, Fairfield, Minnesota (in winning the 2011 Old Spice Invitational), Boston College, Auburn (Charleston Classic), Gonzaga and Cal (EA Sports Maui Invitational).

"Playing in events like the Puerto Rico Tip-Off is a key component to our scheduling model," UD Vice-President and Director of Athletics Tim Wabler said.  "They provide the opportunity to give us multiple games against quality opponents while increasing our exposure nationally.

"I think it says a lot about our program that we are asked to play in these exempt events," Wabler continued. "We play basketball at a high level, we are a known commodity for television and our fans really travel."

This is Dayton's second trip to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. In 2009, UD defeated No. 21 Georgia Tech, and lost to No. 5 Villanova and a Kansas State team that would reach the Elite Eight.

The Puerto Rico Tip-Off will feature 12 games over four days. Each team will compete in one game per day on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in the championship game Sunday, Nov. 23, live on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

TICKETS
Official travel packages allowing fans to support the Dayton Flyers at the eighth annual Puerto Rico Tip-Off Nov. 20-23 are now available.

Anthony Travel, in partnership with UD Athletics, has created the travel packages for fans wishing to travel to San Juan for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The packages allow UD fans an opportunity to secure their room at the headquarter hotel, and they offer ground transportation to and from the games.

Fans interested in tickets only can contact the UD ProSource ticket office directly at (937) 229-4433 or online at DaytonFlyers.com to order. All-session tickets are $125 apiece.