| Sport | College Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Venue | Don Haskins Center |
| Sponsor | WestStar Bank |
| Tournament format | Single elimination |
| Official website | sunbowl |
The WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational is an annual men's NCAA Division I college basketball tournament held in El Paso, Texas. The tournament was founded in 1961. It is held at the Don Haskins Center. Four teams compete in a two-day, four-game bracketed tournament. [1]
The inaugural tournament took place December 28–29, 1961, at the Memorial Gym on the UTEP campus, featuring Baylor (SWC), New Mexico (Independent), and New Mexico State (Border). UTEP defeated New Mexico to win the championship. [2] [3]
The 2025 tournament is set to take place from December 21–22, 2025 at Don Haskins Center in El Paso, featuring the following teams: [4] [5]
| Semifinals December 21 | Championship December 22 | ||||||||
| North Dakota State | |||||||||
| UC Irvine | |||||||||
| Norfolk State | |||||||||
| UTEP | 3rd place Game December 22 | ||||||||
The 2024 tournament is set to take place from December 20–21, 2024 at Don Haskins Center in El Paso, featuring the following teams: [6]
| Semifinals December 20 | Championship December 21 | ||||||||
| Akron | 58 | ||||||||
| Yale | 74 | ||||||||
| Yale | 74 | ||||||||
| UTEP | 75 | ||||||||
| Jackson State | 61 | ||||||||
| UTEP | 67 | 3rd place Game December 21 | |||||||
| Akron | 68 | ||||||||
| Jackson State | 50 | ||||||||
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 1961 | UTEP |
| 1962 | UTEP |
| 1963 | UTEP |
| 1964 | New Mexico |
| 1965 | UTEP |
| 1966 | SMU |
| 1967 | UTEP |
| 1968 | UTEP |
| 1969 | UTEP |
| 1970 | Southern California |
| 1971 | UTEP |
| 1972 | UTEP |
| 1973 | UTEP |
| 1974 | UTEP |
| 1975 | UTEP |
| 1976 | Missouri |
| 1977 | Memphis State |
| 1978 | Clemson |
| 1979 | UTEP |
| 1980 | Villanova |
| 1981 | UTEP |
| 1982 | SMU |
| 1983 | UTEP |
| 1984 | Purdue |
| 1985 | UTEP |
| 1986 | UTEP |
| 1987 | UTEP |
| 1988 | UTEP |
| 1989 | South Carolina |
| 1990 | UTEP |
| 1991 | UTEP |
| 1992 | Purdue |
| 1993 | UTEP |
| 1994 | Texas |
| 1995 | UTEP |
| 1996 | Princeton |
| 1997 | St. Josephs |
| 1998 | Detroit |
| 1999 | Kent State |
| 2000 | UTEP |
| 2001 | Mississippi |
| 2002 | UAB |
| 2003 | UTEP |
| 2004 | UTEP |
| 2005 | Georgetown |
| 2006 | Drake |
| 2007 | UTEP |
| 2008 | No Tournament |
| 2009 | UTEP |
| 2010 | Sam Houston State |
| 2011 | Colorado State |
| 2012 | UTEP |
| 2013 | UTEP |
| 2014 | UTEP |
| 2015 | UC-Irvine |
| 2016 | Akron |
| 2017 | North Dakota State |
| 2018 | East Tennessee State |
| 2019 | UTEP |
| 2021 | Bradley |
| 2022 | Kent State |
| 2023 | UTEP |
| 2024 | UTEP |