 | |
| Sport | College Basketball |
|---|---|
| First season | 2012 |
| No. of teams | 2 |
The Armed Forces Classic is a college basketball event operated on a military boatcraft, televised on ESPN, that involves one or two games played in front of military members and their families.
The first Armed Forces Classic was held on November 9, 2012, between Michigan State and UConn, at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany. It was the first college basketball game played between two NCAA Division I teams in Europe. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
The 2016 edition broke new ground for the event in several respects. It was the first to feature two games, and also the first not to be played at a military base, with games held at Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in Honolulu. Additionally, it was the first time tickets were sold to the general public, although all seats in the arena's lower bowl were reserved for military personnel and their families. [6] The event was held in Honolulu to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor; surrounding events were held at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam.
The game was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sites for future games are tentative and may change due to military circumstances.
| Date | Location | Winner | Score | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 9, 2012 | Ramstein Air Base, Germany | Connecticut | 66–62 | No. 14 Michigan State | 3,288 |
| November 8, 2013 | Camp Humphreys, Korea [7] | No. 19 Oregon | 82–75 | Georgetown | 2,100 |
| November 14, 2014 | CGAS Borinquen, Puerto Rico | No. 8 Louisville | 81–66 | Minnesota | 1,400 |
| November 13, 2015 | Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Japan | No. 9 Gonzaga vs. Pittsburgh, canceled [n 1] | |||
| November 11, 2016 | Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu, Hawaii | No. 10 Arizona | 65–63 | No. 12 Michigan State | 9,475 |
| No. 11 Indiana | 103–99 | No. 3 Kansas | |||
| November 10, 2017 | Ramstein Air Base, Germany | No. 25 Texas A&M | 88–65 | No. 11 West Virginia | 3,128 |
| November 9, 2018 | Fort Bliss, Texas | Texas | 73–71 OT | Arkansas | 1,400 |
| November 8, 2019 | Alaska Airlines Center, Anchorage, Alaska | Washington | 67–64 | No. 16 Baylor | 5,117 |
| November 11, 2022 | USS Abraham Lincoln, San Diego, California | No. 2 Gonzaga | 64–63 | Michigan State | 3,572 |
| Date | Location | Winner | Score | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 4, 2025 | Ramstein Air Base, Germany | UConn vs. Louisville | |||
The ACC–Big Ten Challenge was an in-season NCAA Division I men's college basketball series that matched up teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Big Ten Conference (B1G). ESPN was a key part of the creation of the challenge and held the broadcast rights to all the games. The ACC–Big Ten Challenge occurred early in the non-conference season, typically around late November/early December. Each game was hosted by one of the participating schools, with teams typically alternating home and away status in each successive year.
The Big East men's basketball tournament is the championship tournament of the Big East Conference in men's basketball. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.
The Empire Classic is an annual college basketball event played in November at the beginning of the season and televised by ESPN. Originally known as the Atlantic City Shootout and produced by the Gazelle Group, Inc., the event was first played in 1995. The following year, it became the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic as a collaboration between the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society in an effort to raise funds for cancer research. In 2012, the tournament beneficiary became Wounded Warrior Project, resulting in the tournament being renamed the 2K Sports Classic. In 2019, the 2K Sports Classic was renamed the 2K Empire Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, commonly referred to as the "Empire Classic".
The Diamond Head Classic is a three-day invitational college basketball tournament held at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii on the campus of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Each team plays three games, winners facing winners and losers facing losers. The Big West Conference serves as the host. The tournament is ESPN-owned and operated.
The Champions Classic is an event that tips off the NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It features four of the top college basketball programs in the United States: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan State. The venue changes from year to year, with Madison Square Garden being the first venue. The first Classic was held on November 15, 2011. This would be the beginning of a three-year rotation, originally scheduled to end in 2013, where each of the teams would play each other once. The event is televised on ESPN. The series is set to run through 2028.
The Carrier Classic was a series of college basketball games that were played on the deck of a U. S. Navy aircraft carrier. The first game was held on November 11, 2011, aboard USS Carl Vinson, between Michigan State and North Carolina. President Barack Obama attended this game. In 2012, the similar Armed Forces Classic was established.
The 2012–13 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 2012–13 college basketball season. They were led by John Thompson III and played their home games at the Verizon Center. They were a member of the Big East Conference. Prior to the January 12 game at St. John's, the team's second leading scorer, Greg Whittington, was suspended indefinitely for academic issues. With a 61–39 win over their rival Syracuse Orange on March 9, 2013, the team clinched their 10th Big East Regular Season Championship. Georgetown lost to 15-seed and tournament newcomer Florida Gulf Coast University 78–68 in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The team was ranked No. 8 in the final Associated Press Poll of the season and No. 17 in the postseason Coaches' Poll.
The 2013–14 Akron Zips men's basketball team represented the University of Akron during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Zips, led by tenth year head coach Keith Dambrot, played their home games at the James A. Rhodes Arena as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 21–13, 12–6 in MAC play to finish in second place in the East Division. They advanced to the semifinals of the MAC tournament where they lost to Western Michigan. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to IPFW.
The National Hockey League (NHL) first held a regular season outdoor ice hockey game in 2003, and since 2008 the league has scheduled at least one per year.
The 2015–16 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Pittsburgh during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Panthers were led by thirteenth-year head coach Jamie Dixon. They were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 21–12, 9–9 in ACC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They defeated Syracuse in the second round of the ACC tournament to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to North Carolina. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where, as a #10 seed, they lost in the first round to Wisconsin.
The 2016 Alamo Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on January 2, 2016, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The 23rd edition of the Alamo Bowl featured the Oregon Ducks from the Pac-12 Conference and the TCU Horned Frogs from the Big 12 Conference. It was televised at 5:45 p.m. CST on ESPN and heard on ESPN Radio. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concluded the 2015 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by the Valero Energy Corporation and was officially known as the Valero Alamo Bowl.
The 2017–18 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma, in his 33rd season at UConn, played their home games at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and the XL Center and were fifth-year members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 36–1, 16–0 in AAC play, to win the AAC regular season championship. They defeated Tulane, Cincinnati, and South Florida to win the AAC women's tournament title. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA women's tournament. As the overall No. 1 seed, they defeated Saint Francis (PA) and Quinnipiac to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. They defeated Duke in the Sweet Sixteen and South Carolina in the Elite Eight to reach their 19th Final Four. In the National Semifinal, they lost in overtime on a last-second shot for the second consecutive year, this time to Notre Dame, ending the school's 36-game winning streak.
The 1941 Hawaii Deans football team was an American football team that represented the University of Hawaii as an independent during the 1941 college football season. The team compiled an 8–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 280 to 83. The season was shortened by two games following the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
The 2020–21 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans were led by 26th-year head coach Tom Izzo and played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference.
The 2020–21 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by 41st-year head coach, Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils played their home games at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The 2020–21 Baylor Bears basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bears, members of the Big 12 Conference, played their home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. They were led by 18th-year head coach Scott Drew.
The 2021 Diamond Head Classic was a mid-season eight-team college basketball tournament that was played on December 22, 23, and 25 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was the 12th annual Diamond Head Classic tournament, and was part of the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The 2021 field was announced in May, and featured BYU, Hawai’i, Liberty, Northern Iowa, South Florida, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Wyoming.
The Jamaica Classic is an early-season college basketball tournament that takes place in November of each year at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Each year, Jamaica Classic participants play games at campus sites in the United States, some before and some after the Montego Bay games. At Montego Bay, those which host the campus-site games play in the "Montego Bay Division" of the Classic, while those which visit the hosts for campus-site games play separately in the "Rose Hall Division." A separate championship is awarded for each division, and a most valuable player is selected in each division.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to basketball around the world, mirroring its impact across all sports. Around the world and to varying degrees, events and competitions have been cancelled or postponed with limited or no spectators, and other restrictions in 2020 and 2021. The National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended its 2019–20 season due to one player testing positive from COVID-19, and began to resume the season later in 2020.
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