OU to Face Tulane in Puerto Rico Tip-Off Opener

NORMAN — The Oklahoma men's basketball team will begin the 2016 Puerto Rico Tip-Off by playing Tulane on Thursday, Nov. 17. The bracket for the eight-team tournament Nov. 17-20 in San Juan, P.R., was announced Thursday.

The OU-Tulane contest is set for a 6 p.m. CT start at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente and will be televised on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. The Green Wave, which went 13-21 last season, is under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. Oklahoma and Tulane have faced each other twice. The Sooners won the most recent meeting, an 83-69 outcome in the second round of the Big Island Invitational during the 2000-01 season.

The winner of the OU-Tulane game will play the winner of the first-round matchup between Arizona State and Northern Iowa, slated to begin at 6 p.m. CT on Nov. 18 (ESPNU). The first-round losers will also meet on Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. CT (ESPNU). Arizona State posted a 15-17 record last season, while Northern Iowa went 23-13 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament second round.

The other side of the bracket pits Clemson (17-14) against Davidson (20-13) and Xavier (28-6; NCAA second round) against Missouri (10-21). The championship game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off is set for Sunday, Nov. 20, at 6:30 p.m. CT. All 12 games will be televised on ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3.

The Sooners will feature a lot of promising young talent in 2016-17 after losing senior starters Isaiah Cousins, Buddy Hield and Ryan Spangler. Last season the threesome helped lead the Sooners to their fifth Final Four appearance in program history.

Veteran returners include senior guard Jordan Woodard, who averaged 13.0 points and 3.4 assists per game last season, and fellow starter Khadeem Lattin, a junior forward who averaged 5.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest in 2015-16.

For more information on the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, visit the event's website.