May 11, 2006
Indianapolis, Ind. – The 2006-07 Notre Dame men’s basketball team will open up play at the 2006 NIT Season Tip-Off against Butler on November 13 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The doubleheader format also will feature Lafayette and Indiana at the same site. A consolation and championship game will be played on November 14.
The Season Tip-Off will move to doubleheader “common site” format featuring four regional sites – East (Charlotte, N.C.; Charlotte Bobcats Arena), South (Nashville; Nashville Arena), Midwest (Indianapolis, Ind.; Conseco Fieldhouse) and West (Spokane, Wash.; Spokane Arena). Winners from each of the four sites will compete in the semifinal and championship doubleheaders at Madison Square Garden, November 22 and 24.
Notre Dame leads the all-time series against Butler 71-30, but the Bulldogs have been victorious in the last four meetings. The two schools last played on February 15, 1995 with Butler earning a 76-60 victory in Indianapolis.
In addition to Notre Dame, the 15 other teams in the tournament field include: Baylor, Belmont, Butler, Colorado State, Fordham, Gonzaga, Indiana, Lafayette, North Carolina, North Carolina-Wilmington, Rice, Sacred Heart, Tennessee and Winthrop.
The Midwest and South regions contests will be played on November 13 and 14. The South Region matchups in Nashville feature Fordham and Tennessee, while UNC-Wilmington will face Belmont.
The games in the East and West regions will be played on November 14 and 15. In Charlotte, North Carolina will go up against Sacred Heart and Winthrop will play Iona. The Spokane site matches up Gonzaga and Rice, while Baylor will take on Colorado State.
A minimum of 12 tournament games are slated to be televised by ESPN’s family of networks.