Villanova has signed on to be a regional host for the 2012 2k Sports Classic, an early-season "exempt" tournament that begins at campus sites and like the NIT, plays its title game at Madison Square Garden. Villanova is joined by Purdue, Alabama and Oregon State as hosts and a total of 12 teams will participate in the event.
The championship double-headers will take place on November 15th and 16th.
The completed bracket, including all 12 teams, will be announced at a later date. Each regional host school will be hosts to the teams the qualify from various sub-regional competition held off-site. The regional hosts will generally advance to the knockout stages in New York City.
Last year's contest was won by Mississippi State, who defeated Texas A&M and Arizona to bring home the hardware.
This year the charitable beneficiary of the tournament will be the Wounded Warrior Project rather than Coaches vs. Cancer. Wounded Warrior exists to raise awareness and enlist the public to help injured members of the military.
It also won't hurt Villanova to know that the organizer of the event also runs the post-season CBI tournament, an event known for offering bids to power-conference teams that finish the season with sub-.500 records. That relationship could help the Wildcats if they pursue a CBI bid this weekend.