Jimmy V Women’s and 15th Annual Men’s Basketball Classics Pairings Announced for Dec. 7 & 8

Women’s: Florida at Rutgers Dec. 7; Men’s Doubleheader: Butler vs. Georgetown and

Indiana  vs. Pittsburgh from Madison Square Garden Dec. 8

July 1, 2009--Matchups for the 2009 Jimmy V Women’s and Men’s Basketball Classics on December 7 and 8, respectively have been determined.  The women’s game, held at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J. for the fourth consecutive year, will feature Florida vs. Rutgers in a showdown between national powers at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.  The 15th annual men’s doubleheader, held at the famed Madison Square Garden for the seventh consecutive event, will pit defending Horizon League regular-season champion Butler vs. BIG EAST power Georgetown at 7 p.m. and perennial Big Ten force Indiana vs. Pittsburgh, the only BIG EAST team to play in seven of eight Conference Championship Games, at 9 p.m., both on ESPN.

The two early-season college basketball events showcasing top programs on ESPN and ESPN2 will conclude the third annual Jimmy V Week, a week-long initiative across multiple ESPN platforms and programs featuring special content to help raise funds for cancer research December 2-8.

Tickets for the Jimmy V Men’s Basketball Classic can be purchased through ticketmaster.com, by calling Ticketmaster at 212-307-7171, or in person at the Madison Square Garden Box Office later this summer.  Tickets for the Jimmy V Women’s Basketball Classic will be available at the Rutgers ticket office (866-445-GORU (4678)).

Eighth Annual Jimmy V Women’s Basketball Classic

Highlights of the eighth annual Jimmy V Women’s Basketball Classic:

· Florida will play in its first Jimmy V Classic while Rutgers will make its fourth consecutive appearance following a 45-34 win over Georgia last year and a 68-60 win over Maryland in 2007.

15th Annual Jimmy V Men’s Basketball Classic

Highlights of the 15th annual Jimmy V Men’s Basketball Classic showcasing four of the nation’s elite programs:

· Georgetown and Butler will make their Jimmy V Classic debut while Indiana and Pittsburgh each won their only other game in the event: Indiana 82-73 over North Carolina in 1999 and Pittsburgh 70-51 over Memphis in 2004.

· This year will mark the first matchup between Butler and Georgetown.

· Indiana holds a 4-3 record against Pittsburgh despite losing 74-52 in the last meeting between the schools in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

· Two of the teams ended the season ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll and participated in the NCAA Tournament: #6 Pittsburgh reached the Elite 8 and #25 Butler lost a close game to LSU in the first round.

· Butler will return the entire team from last year’s 26-6 squad led by Horizon League Player of the Year Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward, who was selected at Newcomer of the Year.

Jimmy V Men’s Basketball Classic Dinner October 14

The head coaches for all six Classic teams are expected to appear at the  Jimmy V Basketball Classic Dinner Auction to be held Wednesday, Oct. 14 at New York's Chelsea Piers’ PIER SIXTY, presented by ESPN, Madison Square Garden, and The V Foundation.  The dinner will kick off the 75th season of basketball at The Garden and celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Jimmy V Men’s Basketball Classic and ESPN’s 30th anniversary.  Proceeds from the dinner and auction will benefit The V Foundation to fund  cancer research.  For additional information or to reserve tickets call The V Foundation at 1-800-4JimmyV or log on to www.jimmyv.org.

The V Foundation for Cancer Research

The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator.  Since 1993, the Foundation has raised more than $80 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide.  It awards 100 percent of all direct cash donations and net proceeds of events directly to cancer research and related programs.  The Foundation, which has received six consecutive top 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator, awards grants through a competitive awards process strictly supervised by a Scientific Review Committee.  For more information on The V Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.

Contacts:  ESPN – Mike Humes at (860) 766-2233; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it