A First Time For Everything At All-College

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ This year's All-College Classic will feature two matchups never played out before on a basketball court. <br/><br/>The opening game of the Dec. 20 doubleheader will be the first

Wednesday, August 1st 2007, 10:46 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ This year's All-College Classic will feature two matchups never played out before on a basketball court.

The opening game of the Dec. 20 doubleheader will be the first head-to-head meeting between brothers and fellow coaches Sean and Scott Sutton, with the nightcap featuring Oklahoma's first ever game against Gonzaga.

``I think it's a one of a kind opportunity when you get two brothers together,'' Oklahoma City All Sports Association executive director Tim Brassfield said. ``It doesn't happen very often.''

Brassfield said there wasn't any trouble convincing Scott Sutton of Oral Roberts and Sean Sutton of Oklahoma State, both sons of former Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton, to coach against one another.

``They kind of put the game together themselves,'' Brassfield said. ``Any time you have that opportunity to see that, it will be an event that, as a fan, I will not want to miss.''

Gonzaga will be playing at the event for the second time in four years. The Bulldogs, ranked 12th at the time, upset No. 3 Oklahoma State 78-75 on Dec. 28, 2004.

Oklahoma also announced that it would play at Southern California on Nov. 29 and at West Virginia on Dec. 29, plus host Tulsa on Dec. 5 and Arkansas on Dec. 15. Other nonconference opponents will include TCU and Rice.

``This is another very challenging game on our schedule,'' Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said. ``In terms of wins and NCAA tournament appearances, Gonzaga has been as good as any other college basketball program the past several years. We're looking forward to this game and we hope our fans are, as well.''

The 72nd annual All-College Classic will be played at Oklahoma City's Ford Center, with both games televised on ESPN2.

``Personally, I don't like playing this game,'' Scott Sutton said of the brother-versus-brother meeting. ``I never like playing close friends or relatives. But this is a great opportunity for our program and our school to once again be featured on national television against a quality opponent. I owe it to the team and the program to play a game like this.''

Tickets to the All-College Classic will go on sale Nov. 1.