ESPN Events Announces 2024-25 College Basketball Tournament and Event Schedule

11 Tournaments and Events Totaling 120+ Hours of Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Programming

Today, ESPN Events announced the matchups and schedules for 11 of its owned-and-operated and partnered events during the 2024-25 men’s and women’s college basketball seasons. Combining for more than 120 hours of programming across ESPN platforms, ESPN Events will showcase 52 teams, including 12 teams listed in ESPN’s ‘Way-Too-Early Top 25’ men’s and women’s rankings for the 2024-25 season. Five of those teams will be featured in ESPN Events’ longest-running men’s doubleheaders – the State Farm Champions Classic on November 12 and Jimmy V Classic Presented by Corona on December 10.

In all, 19 conferences will be represented in the 11 events, including the ACC, American, Atlantic 10, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Big West, Coastal, Conference USA, Horizon, Ivy League, Mid-American, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, SEC, Southern, Sun Belt, WAC and West Coast.

Fifteen teams scheduled to participate in ESPN Events’ multiple-team events earned berths in the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, including Elite Eight participants Duke and Tennessee. Other NCAA men’s qualifiers include Charleston, Drake, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Nevada, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oakland, Tennessee and Utah State.

The Ally Tipoff – in partnership with the Charlotte Sports Foundation – returns as a doubleheader on Nov. 10, featuring a projected Top 10 matchup at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN between 2024 Women’s National Champion South Carolina (No. 1) and NC State (No. 8) – a Final Four rematch from last season’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. In the second game, Iowa, who appeared in each of the last two national title games, will take on Virginia Tech at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

This season’s State Farm Champions Classic will showcase four premier men’s college basketball programs on November 12 from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga. Kansas, ESPN’s projected No. 1-ranked team, will face Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Following at 9 p.m. on ESPN,    Kentucky (No. 23) under new head coach Mark Pope will tip off against Duke (No. 8) as freshman sensation Cooper Flagg – and the presumptive No. 1 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft – makes his marquee debut in college basketball.

The Shriners Children’s Hospital Charleston Classic, Myrtle Beach Invitational, Vegas Showdown, ESPN Events Invitational and NIT Season Tip-Off will again be part of ESPN’s Feast Week programming this fall. See below schedule grid for details.

The eight-team men’s college basketball tournaments (Charleston Classic, Myrtle Beach and Diamond Head) will feature twelve games through three days, while the ESPN Events Invitational – moving to a four-team format this year – and NIT Season Tip-Off will include four teams and four games through two days. Teams will compete in one game per day, advancing through the bracket. Each tournament will crown a champion on the final day.

This year, the NIT Season Tip-Off will move from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Fla., where the ESPN Events Invitational will again be held.

The Vegas Showdown, following a successful debut last year, will be played at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, November 26, featuring a doubleheader between projected Top 10 powers Duke and Kansas at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and Furman vs. Seattle at 11:30 p.m. on ESPNU. As part of the Vegas Showdown, on the weekend following the doubleheader in Las Vegas, Seattle will play Duke in Durham, N.C., and Furman will play Kansas in Lawrence, Kan.

The Jimmy V Men’s Classic Presented by Corona® returns to Madison Square Garden with an ESPN doubleheader on Tuesday, December 10, featuring two projected Top 15 programs. Miami takes on Tennessee (No. 13) at 6:30 p.m. ET and Michigan faces new-look Arkansas (No. 14) under head coach John Calipari – the winningest active coach in Men’s college basketball – at 9 p.m.

On the women’s college hoops side, the Jimmy V Women’s Classic Presented by Corona® will take place on Dec. 15 and will also feature two projected Top 15 teams accustomed to postseason runs. Louisville (No. 12) will host NC State (No. 8) at 1 p.m. ET on ABC from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.

In partnership with the Charlotte Sports Foundation, the third annual Jumpman Invitational presented by Novant Health returns December 17-18 to the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., featuring four of the original Jordan Brand-sponsored programs: North Carolina, Florida, Michigan and Oklahoma. The event uniquely showcases both men’s and women’s teams, including four projected in ESPN’s ‘Way-Too-Early Top 25’ rankings.

On Dec. 17, North Carolina (No. 10) tips off against Florida (No. 21) on the men’s side at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, while Michigan takes on Oklahoma (No. 13) in the women’s matchup at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The women get the action started on Dec. 18 at 6:30 p.m. ET when North Carolina (No. 17) faces Florida on ESPNU, followed by Michigan vs. Oklahoma on the men’s side at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

The 2024 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic will take place during Christmas week on Dec. 22, 23 and 25 from SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawai’i. This year, the eight-team tournament is celebrating its 15^th edition and will feature: Charlotte, College of Charleston, Loyola Chicago, Murray State, Nebraska, Oakland, Oregon State and tournament host Hawai’i. See below schedule grid for details.

ESPN Events – 2024-25 College Basketball Season

Ally Tipoff (Women’s College Basketball) | November 10
Spectrum Center | Charlotte, N.C.
Teams: South Carolina vs. NC State | Virginia Tech vs. Iowa

State Farm Champions Classic | November 12
State Farm Arena | Atlanta, Ga.
Teams: Kansas vs. Michigan State | Kentucky vs. Duke

Shriners Children’s Hospital Charleston Classic | November 21, 22 and 24
TD Arena | Charleston, S.C.
Teams: Drake, Florida Atlantic, Miami, Nevada, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall, Vanderbilt, VCU

Myrtle Beach Invitational | November 21, 22 and 24
HTC Center | Conway, S.C.
Teams: Bradley, Texas State, Middle Tennessee, Ohio, Portland, Princeton, South Florida, Wright State

Vegas Showdown | November 26
T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas, Nev.
Teams: Duke vs. Kansas | Seattle vs. Furman

ESPN Events Invitational | November 28- 29
State Farm Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex | Kissimmee, Fla.
Teams: Florida, Minnesota, Wake Forest, Wichita State

NIT Season Tip-Off | November 28-29
State Farm Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex | Kissimmee, Fla.
Teams: North Texas, Northern Iowa, St. Bonaventure, Utah State

Jimmy V Men’s Classic Presented by Corona | December 10
Madison Square Garden | New York, N.Y.
Teams: Miami vs. Tennessee | Michigan vs. Arkansas

Jimmy V Women’s Classic Presented by Corona | December 15
KFC Yum! Center | Louisville, Ky.
Teams: NC State vs. Louisville

Jumpman Invitational Presented by Novant Health | December 17-18
Spectrum Center | Charlotte, N.C.
Teams: Florida (Men, Women), Michigan (Men, Women), North Carolina (Men, Women), Oklahoma (Men, Women)

Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic | December 22, 23 and 25
SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center | Honolulu, Hawaii
Teams: Charleston, Charlotte, Hawai’i, Loyola Chicago, Murray State, Nebraska, Oakland, Oregon State

ESPN Events 
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2024, 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. Follow ESPN Events on Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube.

-30-

Media Contacts:
Danny Chi at 213-405-4400 or [email protected]
Andrea DiCristoforo at 213-405-4612 or [email protected]