Aug. 23, 2007

PRINCETON, N.J. - Tickets to the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic will officially go on sale Friday, August 24th at 10:00 a.m CST. Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, and UCLA will serve as the four host schools for the event. This year's event will tip-off Nov. 11-14 at the four regional sites and will culminate with the championship rounds Nov. 19-20 at the newly constructed Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. In addition to the tournament, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) will induct 12 former coaches and players into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, being constructed inside the Sprint Center, on Nov. 18.

O'Reilly Automotive, Inc., the recently named title sponsor, is one of the largest specialty retailers of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories in the United States, serving both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets. Founded in 1957 by the O'Reilly family, the company operates more than 1,600 stores nationwide. For more information on O'Reilly's, please visit oreillyauto.com.

Last year, Marquette defeated Duke, 73-62, in the championship game.

The tournament was initially established in 2001 as the Guardians Classic, in partnership with the NABC. The event is now named after the College Basketball Experience, a college hoops fan interactive facility that is scheduled to open this year, as part of the Hall of Fame. The College Basketball Experience will be the nation's only facility that celebrates, in its entirety, the sport of college basketball.

TICKET INFORMATION: Championship Round tickets at Sprint Center go on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m CST. and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 816.931.3330 or through Ticketmaster.com.

For VIP Ticket packages, contact Josh Stevens at 609.921.1300 or jstevens@gazellegroup.com

Tickets for the Regional Rounds may be purchased through the host schools' box offices. On-sale dates for individual game tickets will be announced in the near future.

Maryland: umterps.com or 800-462.8377
Michigan State: msuspartans.com or 800.467.8283
Missouri: mutigers.com or 800.228.7297
UCLA: uclabruins.com or 310.825.2101

The O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic is produced by The Gazelle Group in Princeton, N.J. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production/management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer. For more information on The Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com. For more information on the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, please visit the official tournament website at CBEClassic.com.