UTEP will have a challenging Thanksgiving basketball weekend, beginning Thursday with a noon faceoff against always- strong Saint Mary's, in the 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.
The Miners will play three games in four days -- Thursday, Friday and Sunday -- in the eight-team tournament.
UTEP and Saint Mary's will open the tournament Thursday on ESPNU, followed by Wake Forest and Cal State-Fullerton at 2:30 p.m. onESPN2. Game 3 will feature Arizona State and Charlotte at 7 p.m. on ESPNU, and the final opening-round match-up will pit Providence against Baylor at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Arizona State is ranked 14th in the nation in theAssociated Press poll. Wake Forest is ranked 19th, Baylor 26th and Saint Mary's 28th in the AP poll. Providence, Charlotte and Cal State-Fullerton, though not ranked, traditionally have strong basketball programs.
"This will be a great experience for us," UTEP coach Tony Barbee said. "Another challenge. I love playing in any type of tournament. It gets you prepared for the Conference USA Tournament. We will be playing three games in four days."
Saint Mary's is 3-0
with an 86-55 trouncing of Seattle Pacific, a 99-85 win over Fresno State and an 86-54 rout of Vanguard. The Gaels are led by 6-foot guard Patrick Mills, who averages 19.3 points and five assists a game. Saint Mary's also has strong inside play with 6-11 Omar Samhan, who averages 13.3 points and eightrebounds a game and 6-7Diamon Simpson, who averages 10.7 points and 8.7rebounds an outing.
UTEP, at 2-1, is paced by Randy Culpepper's 20.7 points a game and Stefon Jackson's 20.3 points a game. Julyan Stone averages 10.7 points and 5.3 assists, and freshman Arnett Moultrie is averaging a team-high 7.7rebounds a game.
"They (the Gaels) have Isiah Thomas on their basketball team," Barbee said, speaking of Mills. "He is good, fast, smart, can score, controls the tempo of the game and has a high basketball IQ."
Stone said, "Saint Mary's has a great team, and we're going to have to prepare hard and play hard."
If UTEP defeats Saint Mary's on Thursday, the Miners will play the winner of Wake Forest and Cal State-Fullerton at 1:30 p.m. Friday on ESPNU.
If the Miners lose to Saint Mary's, they will play the loser of Wake Forest-Cal State-Fullerton at 3:30 p.m. Friday, also on ESPNU.
The Miners will play three games in four days -- Thursday, Friday and Sunday -- in the eight-team tournament.
UTEP and Saint Mary's will open the tournament Thursday on ESPNU, followed by Wake Forest and Cal State-Fullerton at 2:30 p.m. onESPN2. Game 3 will feature Arizona State and Charlotte at 7 p.m. on ESPNU, and the final opening-round match-up will pit Providence against Baylor at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Arizona State is ranked 14th in the nation in theAssociated Press poll. Wake Forest is ranked 19th, Baylor 26th and Saint Mary's 28th in the AP poll. Providence, Charlotte and Cal State-Fullerton, though not ranked, traditionally have strong basketball programs.
"This will be a great experience for us," UTEP coach Tony Barbee said. "Another challenge. I love playing in any type of tournament. It gets you prepared for the Conference USA Tournament. We will be playing three games in four days."
Saint Mary's is 3-0
with an 86-55 trouncing of Seattle Pacific, a 99-85 win over Fresno State and an 86-54 rout of Vanguard. The Gaels are led by 6-foot guard Patrick Mills, who averages 19.3 points and five assists a game. Saint Mary's also has strong inside play with 6-11 Omar Samhan, who averages 13.3 points and eightrebounds a game and 6-7Diamon Simpson, who averages 10.7 points and 8.7rebounds an outing.
UTEP, at 2-1, is paced by Randy Culpepper's 20.7 points a game and Stefon Jackson's 20.3 points a game. Julyan Stone averages 10.7 points and 5.3 assists, and freshman Arnett Moultrie is averaging a team-high 7.7rebounds a game.
"They (the Gaels) have Isiah Thomas on their basketball team," Barbee said, speaking of Mills. "He is good, fast, smart, can score, controls the tempo of the game and has a high basketball IQ."
Stone said, "Saint Mary's has a great team, and we're going to have to prepare hard and play hard."
If UTEP defeats Saint Mary's on Thursday, the Miners will play the winner of Wake Forest and Cal State-Fullerton at 1:30 p.m. Friday on ESPNU.
If the Miners lose to Saint Mary's, they will play the loser of Wake Forest-Cal State-Fullerton at 3:30 p.m. Friday, also on ESPNU.
