ESPN said on Friday that the Penn State men’s basketball team will take part in the 2012 Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament.
‘Penn State is confirmed,’ an ESPN spokesperson told StateCollege.com ‘We are hoping to finalize the rest of the field in the coming weeks.’
While the rest of the field has yet to be confirmed, Providence, North Carolina State, Southern Mississippi, Akron, Oklahoma State and Tennessee have all been rumored to be in contention to play in the eight-team tournament next season.
Penn State lost to Indiana, 75-58, on Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament, finishing coach Pat Chambers’ inaugural season with a 14-20 record.
Chambers repeatedly has said that he plans to play a competitive nonconference schedule.
‘My scheduling philosophy is we gotta go out and compete,’ he said. ‘We gotta find a variety of styles of play because that’s what the Big Ten is. It always helps recruiting when you play some of the better teams in other conferences.
‘It should prepare us because that’s what you need to do, you need to be prepared for the Big Ten and that’s the goal. It’s not about wins for me, it’s about getting these kids ready, preparing them for the Big Ten.’
The 2011 Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament took place Nov. 17-20. Alabama won the championship, beating Purdue in the title game, 65-56.
