May 9, 2009

The third annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off has completed its field with the additions of Mississippi of the SEC and Boston University of the America East Conference. Ole Miss is a new addition, while Boston U. replaces UAB.

The tournament field also includes Dayton, George Mason, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas State, and 2009 Final Four participant Villanova.

The tournament will be played Nov. 19-22 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, in the cosmopolitan Hato Rey district of San Juan.

The 2009 O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, a bracket-format tournament, will feature 12 games in three days, Nov. 19 -22. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 22. Games from Puerto Rico will be televised on the ESPN Family networks. Information regarding what ESPN platform (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, etc.) will be announced after pairings are finalized.

Last November, Xavier took home the 2008 Puerto Rico Tip-Off trophy. In 2007, the Miami Hurricanes won the inaugural O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Dayton returns four starters and 10 of its top 11 scorers from last year's 27-8 team that reached the NCAA second round. The Flyer returnees include all four players who earned Atlantic 10 postseason honors in 2008-09: Chris Wright, Marcus Johnson, London Warren and Chris Johnson. Wright, who was also First Team NABC All-District, led UD in scoring (13.3) and rebounding (6.6), and set a school single-season record for dunks (54). Several 2009-2010 preseason polls, including those associated with Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com, CBS College Sports.com, and The Sporting News.com, have the Flyers ranked next season.

Ticket information will also be announced at a later date. Additional information can be found on the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off Web site at www.PuertoRicoTipoff.com.