UTEP to open Puerto Rico Tip Off with Boise State

The UTEP men’s basketball team will open play in the 2017 Puerto Rico Tip-Off against old Western Athletic Conference rival Boise State, tournament officials announced on Wednesday.

The Miners and the Broncos will square off at the Coliseo Municipal Tomas Dones in Fajardo, P.R. on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. Atlantic Time (noonMountain time). It will be the second game of the day following Illinois State vs. South Carolina at 12:30 Atlantic time. Other first-round matchups are Iowa State vs. Appalachian State (6:30 p.m. Atlantic time) and Tulsa vs. Western Michigan (9 p.m. Atlantic time).

The UTEP-Boise State game will be televised on ESPNU.

UTEP returns four starters and five of its top six scorers from last year’s squad that won 13 of its last 17 games and tied for third place in Conference USA. Boise State is coming off a 20-12 campaign (12-6 Mountain West) and welcomes back leading scorer Chandler Hutchison, who averaged 17.4 ppg in 2016-17 and was voted first team All-Conference by Mountain West coaches.

The Miners and the Broncos last met during the 2004-05 season. UTEP leads the series 6-5 and beat Boise State, 91-78, in the 2005 WAC championship game – the last meeting between the teams.

UTEP will play a total of three games in the tournament on Nov. 16, 17 and 19. All 12 games of the 2017 Puerto Rico Tip-Off will be televised on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS or ESPN3.

In addition to tickets, travel packages and discounted hotel accommodations are also available to fans through Anthony Travel, the official travel provider of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Packages include hotel accommodations, game-day transportation, an all-session pass to the games and access to an exclusive banquet reception with the players and coaches (limited availability). For more information or to book your travel to the tournament, please visit www.anthonytravel.com/espn/puerto-rico-tipoff or call (888) 632-6951.

Puerto Rico, a family-friendly tournament and resort destination, hosts the teams to three days of games, practices and immersion in Puerto Rican culture. For additional information, please visit www.puertoricotipoff.com.

Thursday, November 16 at Tomás Dones Coliseum in Fajardo

• Game 1 - Illinois State vs. South Carolina, 9:30 a.m. MT, ESPN2

• Game 2 - Boise State vs. UTEP, 12 p.m. MT, ESPNU

• Game 3 - Iowa State vs. Appalachian State, 3:30 p.m. MT, ESPNU

• Game 4 - Tulsa vs. Western Michigan, 6 p.m. MT, ESPNEWS

Friday, November 17 at Tomás Dones Coliseum in Fajardo

• Game 5 - Illinois State/South Carolina loser vs. Boise State/UTEP loser, 9:30 a.m. MT, ESPNU

• Game 6 - Illinois State/South Carolina winner vs. Boise State/UTEP winner, 12 p.m. MT, ESPN2

• Game 7 - Iowa State/Appalachian State loser vs. Tulsa/Western Michigan loser, 3 p.m. MT, ESPNU

• Game 8 - Iowa State/Appalachian State winner vs. Tulsa/Western Michigan winner, 5 p.m. MT, ESPNU

Sunday, November 19 at Tomás Dones Coliseum in Fajardo

• Game 9 - Game 5 and Game 7 losers, 9:30 a.m. MT, ESPN3

• Game 10 - Game 5 and Game 7 winners, 12 p.m. MT, ESPNU

• Game 11 - Game 6 and Game 8 losers, 3 p.m. MT, ESPNU

• Game 12, Championship - Game 6 and Game 8 winners, 5:30 p.m. MT, ESPN2

Non-bracketed games - Bridgewater at Appalachian State, November 12; Western Michigan at South Carolina, November 13.