OSU Men`s Basketball to Host Oregon Rain Invitational in November

Salem-News.com Sports

CORVALLIS - Thanks to a new NCAA rule, Gill Coliseum will play host to the Oregon Rain Invitational at Oregon State – a three-day, four-team, round-robin tournament – on Nov. 10th-12th. In addition to the host Beavers, the field will include Portland, Cal Poly SLO and Southeastern Louisiana.

OSU`s first game of the event, which will take place against Portland, will also be the Beavers` season opener. The rest of Oregon State`s schedule will be released as soon as it becomes official.

“Hosting this tournament is a great opportunity to play a few extra home games, and to hopefully get the 2006-07 season off to a good start in front of our fans,“ OSU Coach Jay John said.

Following is the schedule for the 2006 Oregon Rain Invitational (OSU will always play the second game):

Friday, Nov. 10th

Cal Poly SLO vs. Southeastern Louisiana, Oregon State vs. Portland

Saturday, Nov. 11th

Portland vs. Cal Poly SLO, Oregon State vs. Southeastern Louisiana

Sunday, Nov. 12th

Portland vs. Southeastern Louisiana, Oregon State vs. Cal Poly SLO

Previously, NCAA Division I basketball teams were only allowed to take part in two exempt tournaments every four years. That rule was eliminated during this offseason, allowing OSU to create the Oregon Rain Invitational after the Beavers took part in exempt tournaments in each of the last two years (the BCA Invitational in November 2004 and the Rainbow Classic in December 2005).

The last time Oregon State hosted an in-season tournament in Corvallis was 1958-59, when the Beavers hosted the Far West Classic for the last time before it moved to Portland.

Season ticket renewals will take place in late July, with new season tickets going on sale in September. Pricing will be announced later this summer.

Oregon Rain has been an official sponsor of Oregon State University Athletics since 2005. Oregon Rain, based in Newberg, is bottled water that is harvested directly from the skies and never touches the Earth. It is on sale at grocery stores throughout the Pacific Northwest.

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