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UTEP to Host Utah in Opening Round of College Basketball Invitational
March 17, 2008
The UTEP men's basketball team will take on long-time rival Utah in opening round action of the inaugural College Basketball Invitational on Wednesday at the Don Haskins Center. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m. MST. UTEP season ticket holders have until noon MST Tuesday to reserve their seats by calling (915) 747-6150 or visiting the UTEP Athletics Season Ticket Office, Brumbelow Building Room 109. All other ticket inquires will be handled by calling (915) 747-5234. Ticket prices are $8 (upper reserved), $13 (lower reserved) and $25 (floor seats). UTEP students will receive one free ticket and can purchase additional guest tickets for $7.50 each. The game will not be televised and, per CBI regulations, no online audio and video streaming will be available on the UTEP athletics website. Video streaming and live stats packages can be purchased at http://www.cbistreaming.com/aa_signup.aspx. The winner of Wednesday's game will face either Miami (Ohio) or Tulsa in Monday's quarterfinal round at a site to be decided. The site will be determined based on attendance figures for the opening round games. Tulsa hosts Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday. The Utes are 17-14 and lost to host UNLV, 61-55, in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament on Friday. Utah has beaten Mountain West Conference Tournament champion UNLV and WAC regular season co-champion Utah State this season. The Utes have also defeated San Diego State, won at Cal and suffered narrow losses to Washington (83-77), Gonzaga (61-59) and New Mexico (82-80 in the MWC Tournament). Utah is led by second team All-Mountain West Conference honorees Luke Nevill and Johnnie Bryant. Nevill, a 7-1 junior center, is averaging 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Bryant, a 6-0 senior guard, is averaging 13.9 points and shooting 44.8 percent from three-point range. UTEP and Utah have met 65 times previously, with the Utes holding a slim 34-31 edge in the series. The teams are meeting in postseason play for the second time in four years. The Miners dropped a 60-54 decision to the 18th-ranked Utes in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament in Tucson.
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