CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team will take on Pittsburgh in the first of two games scheduled as part of the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 17 at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden.
The UC-Pitt contest starts at 7 p.m. ET and will be followed by a matchup between Florida and Memphis at 9 p.m. Both games will be televised by ESPN.
The games conclude Jimmy V Week, a week-long initiative across multiple ESPN platforms and programs that feature special content to help raise funds for cancer research.
The UC-Pitt matchup will come 11 years to the day the Bearcats last played in the Jimmy V Classic. UC defeated Oregon 77-52 in East Rutherford, N.J. on Dec. 17, 2002.
The series is tied 9-9 after both teams split a pair of meetings last season. The Bearcats topped the Panthers 70-61 in Pittsburgh in the BIG EAST Conference opener on Dec. 31 before Pitt earned a 62-52 win at UC's Fifth Third Arena on Feb. 9. The two teams have met once before at New York's Madison Square Garden, with Pitt claiming a 70-64 victory in the first-round of the 2008 BIG EAST Championship.
The 2013-14 campaign marks UC's first season in the American Athletic Conference while Pittsburgh begins play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Both teams advanced to the NCAA tournament last season. UC finished 22-12 overall, making its third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. Pitt also advanced to NCAA tournament, finishing 24-9 overall.
(Press release from UC)
