The South Carolina men's basketball team will compete in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic at Coastal Carolina University in November.
Originally scheduled to be played in Pajardo, Puerto Rico, the game was moved because of the devastating impact and damage in Puerto Rico caused by Hurricane Maria.
"The aftermath of the hurricane has caused an immense hardship to the island, and our thoughts are with the people of Puerto Rico during this difficult time," said Pete Derzis, ESPN senior vice president of college sports programming and events. "We are hopeful to be able to return next year to Puerto Rico, where our teams have enjoyed the warm hospitality and rich culture of Puerto Rico for nearly a decade."
Thanks to Coastal Carolina and the city of Myrtle Beach, the tournament found a new home for the year.
“It’s under tough circumstances but we’re in a position to be able to help,” said Coastal athletics director Matt Hogue. “Once we were able to check our calendars and saw that it could work out, we were all about helping them out.”
Along with Appalachian State, Boise State, Illinois State, Iowa State, Tulsa, UTEP and Western Michigan, South Carolina will be competing in the tournament beginning Nov. 16 through Nov. 19.
The event will feature two teams that made the NCAA tournament last year — South Carolina and Iowa State — and two teams that made the National Invitation Tournament — Boise State and Illinois State.
The Gamecocks will face Illinois State to start the opening round of the tournament at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 16 on ESPN2.