Sport | College basketball |
---|---|
Founded | 2017 |
No. of teams | 8 |
Country | Northern Ireland |
Venue(s) | SSE Arena Belfast |
Most recent champion(s) | Buffalo Bulls (Goliath) Marist Red Foxes (Samson) |
TV partner(s) | CBS Sports Network |
Official website | Belfast Basketball Classic.com |
The Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic is an eight team college basketball tournament held in November and December of the NCAA Division I men's basketball season, with the inaugural tournament beginning in 2017. It is currently the only college tournament played across the Atlantic, and the first-ever NCAA basketball games played in Europe. [1] [2] In its inaugural season, only four teams participated, but it was increased for the 2018–19 season to eight teams. In 2017, the four participants played all their games at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with the winners moving on to the championship game, and the losers playing in the consolation game. [3] Towson was the inaugural champion, defeating Manhattan 56–55, and winning the game on a last second shot by Tigers senior guard Mike Morsell. [4]
The format was changed in 2018, with the schools competing in two four-team brackets, with campus round games in America leading into two tournament brackets in Belfast named Samson and Goliath, which are named after the iconic Harland and Wolff cranes in the Titanic quarter ship yard of Belfast. The semifinals and championship games of each bracket are played in Northern Ireland, with each bracket winner declared champions of their respective brackets. [5]
The tournament is sponsored by The Sport Changes Life Foundation, in partnership with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
* – Denotes overtime period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Goliath Semifinals November 30 | Goliath Championship December 1 | ||||||||
Milwaukee | 77 | ||||||||
21 | Buffalo | 96 | |||||||
21 | Buffalo | 85 | |||||||
San Francisco | 81 | ||||||||
San Francisco | 76 | ||||||||
Stephen F. Austin | 58 |
Samson Semifinals November 29 | Samson Championship November 30 | ||||||||
Dartmouth | 58 | ||||||||
Marist | 76 | ||||||||
Marist | 70 | ||||||||
Long Island | 53 | ||||||||
Long Island | 80 | ||||||||
Albany | 77 |
Semifinals December 1, 2017 CBSSN | Championship December 2, 2017 CBSSN | ||||||||
Holy Cross | 54 | ||||||||
Manhattan | 70 | ||||||||
Manhattan | 55 | ||||||||
Towson | 56 | ||||||||
La Salle | 60 | ||||||||
Towson | 67 |
Kimberly Diane Mulkey is the head women's basketball coach at LSU. A Pan-American gold medalist in 1983 and Olympic gold medalist in 1984, she became the first person in NCAA women's basketball history to win a national championship as a player, assistant coach, and head coach. She won three NCAA championships as the coach of Baylor in 2005, 2012, and 2019. Mulkey was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The MAAC Men's Basketball Tournament is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The tournament has been held every year since 1982, the MAAC's first season. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner, declared conference champion, receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The MAAC did not receive its automatic bid from the NCAA until 1984.
The Emerald Coast Classic is an 8 team college basketball tournament held during Thanksgiving of NCAA Division I men's basketball season, with the inaugural tournament beginning in 2014. The two final round games are played on the campus of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida. The tournament will be presented by Global Sports. First and second-round games are played at on-campus sites, with the third round and championship round scheduled Thanksgiving weekend at Northwest Florida State College.
The Fordham Rams are the varsity sports teams for Fordham University. Their colors are maroon and white. The Fordham Rams are members of NCAA Division I and compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference for all sports except football. In football, the Rams play in the Patriot League of NCAA Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision. The University also supports a number of club sports, and a significant intramural sports program. The University's athletic booster clubs include the Sixth Man Club for basketball and the Afterguard for sailing.
The Empire Classic, formerly known as the 2K Sports Classic, is an annual college basketball tournament 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 tournament 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. A new annual college basketball tournament benefiting cancer research, also called the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic and hosted by the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, was held from 2012 to 2014. In 2019, the event was renamed the 2K Empire Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, commonly referred to as the "Empire Classic."
Joseph Patrick Kennedy is an American former college basketball coach and player. He was previously the men's basketball coach at Towson University, Iona College, Florida State University, DePaul University, Pace University and the University of Montana. Currently, Kennedy is a senior advisor for the Hoop Group and Be The Beast Recruiting.
The Towson Tigers, formerly the Towson College Knights, are the athletics teams of Towson University. All of the major athletic teams compete in the Colonial Athletic Association with 19 Division I athletic teams. Gymnastics competes in the EAGL conference, having rejoined the league in the Spring of 2012.
The Temple Owls men's basketball team represents Temple University in the sport of basketball. The Owls compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I as a member of the American Athletic Conference. They play their home games in the Liacouras Center on the university's main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and are currently led by head coach Aaron Mckie. Temple is the fifth-most winningest NCAA Division I men's college basketball program of all time, with 1903 wins at the end of the 2017–18 season.
College Basketball on CBS Sports is the branding used for broadcasts of men's NCAA Division I basketball games that are produced by CBS Sports, for CBS, CBSSN, and Facebook.
The Jacksonville Dolphins are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Jacksonville University, located in Jacksonville, Florida. The Dolphins participate in NCAA Division I athletics, and are primarily members of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). Some teams in sports that are not sponsored by the ASUN play in other conferences. The men's lacrosse team is a member of the Southern Conference, and the men's and women's rowing teams are in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The Clemson Tigers men's soccer team represent Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I soccer. The team has won 14 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, 2 NCAA national championships, and hosted 3 Hermann Trophy winners.
The Las Vegas Invitational is an 8 team college basketball tournament held during Thanksgiving of NCAA Division I men's basketball season annually since 2003. The Tournament was originally held in the gymnasium of Valley High School, until moving to the new Orleans Arena in 2006.
The Iona Gaels men's basketball team represents Iona College in New Rochelle, New York in NCAA Division I competition. The school's team competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and plays home games in Hynes Athletic Center. On March 14, 2020, the Gaels hired Rick Pitino as their head coach.
The 2016 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was held from March 3–7, 2016 at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. No. 2 seed Iona upset No. 1 seed Monmouth 79–76 in the championship game and received the conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament. It was the fourth consecutive championship game for Iona, and their conference leading ninth MAAC tournament championship.
The 2016–17 Towson Tigers men's basketball team represented Towson University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by sixth year head coach Pat Skerry, played their home games at SECU Arena in Towson, Maryland as members of the Colonial Athletic Association. They finished the season 20–13, 11–7 in CAA play to finish in third place. They defeated Northeastern in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to College of Charleston. Despite a 20 win season, the Tigers declined to participate in a postseason tournament.
The 2017 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was held from March 2–6, 2017 at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. No. 3 seed Iona defeated No. 4 seed Siena 87–86 in overtime in the tournament championship game. As a result, Iona received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The championship marked Iona's 10th MAAC title, the most in MAAC Tournament history, and the second consecutive MAAC Tournament championship for the Gaels. It was also the fifth consecutive championship game for Iona, which is a MAAC record.
The 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 64 teams to determine the national champion for the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The 38th annual edition of the tournament began on March 22, and concluded with the championship game on April 7 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, with the University of South Florida serving as host. The tournament field was announced on March 18.
The 2020 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was a planned single-elimination tournament of 68 teams to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2019–20 season. The 82nd edition of the tournament would have begun on March 17, 2020, and concluded with the championship game on April 6 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 2006–07 Marist Red Foxes men's basketball team represented Marist College during the 2006–07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Red Foxes, led by third year head coach Matt Brady, played their home games at the McCann Center and were members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The team captains were seniors Jared Jordan and Will Whittington. They finished the season 25–9 overall, 14–4 in MAAC play to finish in first place, winning the MAAC regular season championship. They advanced to the semifinals of the MAAC Tournament where they lost to Siena. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the 2007 National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Oklahoma State in the first round before falling to NC State in the second round. The season was also highlighted by wins over Big Ten Conference opponent Minnesota and Old Dominion, who had defeated eighth-ranked Georgetown two games prior.
The 2019–20 Clemson Tigers men's basketball team represented Clemson University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers were led by tenth-year head coach Brad Brownell and played their home games at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.