ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure men's basketball program will spend the Thanksgiving holiday at the Walt Disney Resort in the Sunshine State as the Bonnies have accepted an invitation to take part in the 2026 ESPN Events Invitational.

St. Bonaventure will be one of six teams in the 'Adventure Group' of the event including Akron, Appalachian State, Belmont, Wright State and Yale. Adventure Group games will take place Monday, Nov. 23 through Wednesday, Nov. 25 inside State Farm Field House at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Fla.

The field includes five potential opponents that combined to win an average of 25 games last season.

Reigning MAC champion Akron has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in four of the past five years, including a sparkling 29-6 record last year. Appalachian State finished last year with a 19-13 mark as members of the Sun Belt while Missouri Valley member Belmont also compiled a 29-6 record – the 16th straight season the Bruins have won 20 or more games. Wright State recorded a 23-12 overall record and returned to the NCAA Tournament after winning both the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles. Yale, meanwhile, has long been a standout program in the Ivy League, winning 20 or more games in seven of the last eight years including a 24-7 record and trip to the NIT a year ago. Each of the six teams will play three games in three days.

Fans can sign up for first access to pre-sale tickets at the ESPN Events Invitational website. Tickets will go on sale later this summer. Full details on the tournament bracket, game times and TV broadcast information will be released at a later date.

The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is just 21 miles from Orlando International Airport, which offers non-stop service to over 100 domestic destinations. 

 A total of 10 teams will play at the site during the week of action as Boston College, Cincinnati, Georgia and UCF will play in the "Magic Group" Nov. 26-27. The 2026 event also marks the 20th year Walt Disney World Resort has hosted ESPN's annual Thanksgiving week college basketball invitational at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2024-25 academic year, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

About ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is where sports dreams come true for athletes and fans of all ages. Located at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the complex is the home of a variety of events including Disney Soccer and Disney Spring Training and has accommodated 70 different sports featuring athletes from 70 different countries since opening in 1997. Designed to provide professional, amateur and youth athletes with experiences synonymous with the names Disney and ESPN, the 260+-acre facility features multiple competition venues, including 16 baseball/softball fields; a 9,500-seat stadium; a state-of-the-art indoor arena and two versatile field houses for basketball, volleyball, and other indoor sports; and 17 multi-purpose fields for outdoor sports including soccer, football and field hockey. The complex includes a professional production center that produces content for global distribution on the Disney family of networks. For more information, visit www.disneysportsnews.com for news releases, photos and videos.

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