Syracuse Coach Heads To Capitol Hill

Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim was in Washington, DC last week with other college college coaches to meet with lawmakers and advocate increased cancer research.

Boeheim and the group congregated with several members of Congress and Dr. John Seffrin, the CEO of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. They participated in a press conference to advocate for increased cancer research and funding from the federal government and also shared their own personal cancer stories. They spoke to a group of assembled media, as well as over 400 volunteers from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, who were on Capitol Hill that day to lobby their own members of Congress.

Coach Boeheim was joined by Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, Alabama's Mark Gottfried, Maryland's Gary Williams and Temple's Fran Dunphy.

To read more, visit http://www.suathletics.com/News/basketball/mbasket/2008/9/25/BoeheimDC9.24.08.asp?path=mbasket

JAYHAWKS GET THEIR RINGS

The National Champion Kansas Jayhawks got their hardware for the hard work last season, getting the National Champion rings in a private ceremony on campus last Friday.

"It was a pretty good evening that was special for our guys," Kansas Head Coach Bill Self said of the ceremony which had a capacity crowd of approximately 100 in the Naismith Room at Allen Fieldhouse. "It was a very appreciative group of people tonight that were able to get their rings."

All but three of the 17-member 2007-08 roster was present. Guard Russell Robinson and center Sasha Kaun are playing professionally overseas and forward Darrell Arthur had commitments with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Jayhawks will open defense of their national title in the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic on Novenber 16th against a yet-to-be-announced opponent. Kansas will play the Washington Huskies in the Championship Rounds at Sprint Center in Kansas City on November 24th. The other semi-final is Syracuse against Florida.

To read more, visit kuathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/092008aaa.html.

NCAA Champs Kansas Highlight CBE Classic

Defending National Champion Kansas, Syracuse, Florida and Washington are the regional hosts for the 2008 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. This year's event includes a 12-team field and will tip-off November 14-20 at the four regional sites. The CBE Classic will culminate with the Championship Rounds on November 24 & 25 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. First and second round matchups will be announced at a later date.

This year, the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic will be played under a new format...

- Regional hosts automatically advance to the Championship Rounds in Kansas City regardless of the regional results.
- All other participants will advance to play a round-robin series at one of two other sites. Thus, every participating team will be guaranteed four games.

TICKET INFORMATION: Championship Round tickets at Sprint Center go on sale Friday, September 19th at 10:00 AM CT and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 816.931.3330 or through Ticketmaster.com.

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS

Semi-Final Doubleheader
(November 24 - 7:30 ET)
Syracuse vs. Florida- ESPN2
Kansas vs Washington- ESPN2

Championship Doubleheader
(November 25 - 7:45 ET)
Consolation Game- ESPNU
Championship Game- ESPN2

Kansas, coming off their fifth National Championship, brings in a top-rated recruiting class.

Syracuse has qualified for the post-season every year since 1993, including the 2003 National Championship... an 81-78 win over the Kansas Jayhawks.

Florida is two years removed from back-to-back national championships and returns four starters from last year's squad.

Washington returns three starters from last year and has earned a post-season berth in four of the last five years, including back-to-back appearances in the "Sweet 16" (2005, 2006).

In the 2007 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic Championship Game, UCLA beat Michigan State, 68-63, as Kevin Love, the tournament MVP and a First Team All-American, led the Bruins with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: ORLY) 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 operated 3,267 stores in 38 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, as of July 31, 2008. Additional information about the Company, customer services and on-line shopping for parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories can be found at the Company's website at www.oreillyauto.com.

The event is named after the College Basketball Experience, a highly interactive college hoops fan facility that opened October 17, 2007 and features the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. The College Basketball Experience is the nation's only facility that celebrates, in its entirety, the sport of men's collegiate basketball. In its first year of operation, the College Basketball Experience played host to over 100,000 visitors. The tournament was initially established in 2001 as the Guardians Classic, in partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

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 Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, the Legends Classic and the College Basketball Invitational. For more information on The Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.

For more information on the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, visit CBEClassic.com.