The Hofstra Men's Basketball team will compete at the Charleston Classic on Nov. 14-16, including an opening round game against Clemson on Friday, Nov. 14 at 9:30 p.m., it was announced today by ESPN Regional Television.
The event will include 12 games in three days, with six games being broadcast on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast. The Southern Conference, based in Spartanburg, S.C., will serve as the event's sponsoring conference.
The 2008 Charleston Classic field includes eight teams: College of Charleston, Clemson, East Tennessee State, Hofstra, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Temple, TCU and Western Michigan. Two of the teams, Clemson and Temple, played in the 2007-08 NCAA Tournament.
In the first round of action, beginning Thursday, Nov. 14, TCU will take on Western Michigan in the first game to be played at Carolina First Center. Also in the first round, ETSU will face Temple, SIU-Edwardsville will meet College of Charleston, and Hofstra and Clemson will square off.
The Hofstra-Clemson winner will face the winner of the game between College of Charleston and SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday, Nov. 15. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout the tournament will face off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. ET on CSS. Complete matchups are listed below.
"We're pleased to have a competitive field and exciting matchups in the inaugural Charleston Classic," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Regional Television. "We expect this new event to provide a terrific off-the-court experience for the student-athletes, coaches and staffs while giving fans a great opportunity to watch college basketball in the great destination of Charleston."
Hofstra and Clemson played a home-and-home series in 1988-89 and 1989-90, with the Tigers capturing wins in both games. Clemson defeated Hofstra at the Physical Fitness Center in the 1988-89 season by a 77-63 score, then won a 91-58 game in South Carolina in 1989-90, before moving on to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
2008 Charleston Classic
Official Website
Tournament Schedule
(Home team listed second; College of Charleston will be home team in each of its games)
Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
Fri., Nov. 14 | 12:30 p.m. | TCU vs. Western Michigan | |
| 3 p.m. | East Tennessee State vs. Temple | |
| 7 p.m. | SIU-Edwardsville vs. College of Charleston | CSS |
| 9:30 p.m. | Hofstra vs. Clemson | CSS |
Sat., Nov. 15 | 11:30 a.m. | Game #5 | |
| 2 p.m. | Game #6 | CSS (delayed*) |
| 5:30 p.m. | Game #7 | |
| 8 p.m. | Game #8 | CSS |
Sun., Nov. 16 | 10:30 a.m. | Game #9 (7th/8th Place) | |
| 1 p.m. | Game #10 (4th/6th Place) | |
| 4 p.m. | Game #11 (Champion/2nd Place) | CSS |
| 6:30 p.m. | Game #12 (3rd/5th Place) | |
