Puerto Rico tournament moves to SC due to Hurricane Maria

By AP
Published

CONWAY, S.C. (AP) The Puerto Rico Tip-Off will be played in South Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Maria. The eight-team college basketball tournament will be played at the arena of Coastal Carolina in November.

Organizers announced Thursday the event would be played on the campus of Coastal Carolina from Nov. 16-19.

ESPN senior vice president of college sports programming and events Pete Derzis says Maria's aftermath has caused ''immense hardship'' to the island. He is hopeful the tournament could return to Puerto Rico next year.

South Carolina of the Southeastern Conference and Iowa State of the Big 12 Conference highlight the field. Others playing in the event are Appalachian State, Boise State, Illinois State, Tulsa, UTEP and Western Michigan.

There will be four games on Thursday and Friday. The tournament will take Saturday off before concluding Sunday.

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