There hasn't been any official announcement from the tournament, but Mark Gottfried confirmed today that NC State is going to start the 2012-13 basketball season with a tournament in Puerto Rico. Last year's field included Maryland, Colorado, Wichita State, Temple, Western Michigan, Purdue, Iona, and Alabama.

The 2012 field:

PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF

Dates: Nov. 15, 16, 18

Teams: N.C. State, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Providence, UMass, Akron, Southern Mississippi

At first glance, NC State should be the favorite to win the tournament. Southern Miss was the only other team to earn an NCAA bid in 2011. Should be a good early challenge, though. While there's been nothing announced officially, this has been a done deal since at least mid-March. The tournament's Twitter account has made no secret of which teams are involved.

@Mark_Gottfried best of luck today to your @PackMensBball in Rnd 2 of the #NCAAtournament! We will see you in Nov @ESPN_PRTipOff !

— Puerto Rico Tip-Off (@ESPN_PRTipOff) March 16, 2012