ESPN Events Unveils Participating Teams for Six Tournaments During 2023-24 Men’s College Basketball Season

  • Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic, Myrtle Beach Invitational, ESPN Events Invitational, NIT Season Tip-Off and Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic owned and operated events all set to return this fall
  • Vegas Showdown to debut Nov. 23-24 during Feast Week

Today, ESPN Events announced the tournament fields for six of its owned and operated events during the 2023-24 men’s college basketball season. The Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic, Myrtle Beach Invitational and ESPN Events Invitational will again be part of ESPN’s Feast Week programming this fall. The NIT Season Tip-Off also returns and will hold its event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, while the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic will take place during Christmas week.

Additionally, ESPN Events will introduce the Vegas Showdown, a new multi-team event to be contested Nov. 23 and 24 in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Fifteen teams scheduled to participate in ESPN Events MTEs earned berths in the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, including Final Four participant Florida Atlantic and No. 1 seed Houston, which advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Other NCAA qualifiers include: Arizona State, Baylor, Boise State, Charleston, Iowa State, Nevada, NC State, Penn State, Pitt, Saint Mary’s, Texas A&M, TCU and Vermont. In addition, North Texas, which will play in Charleston, captured the 2023 NIT Championship.

In all, 17 conferences will be represented in the six tournaments, including The American, America East, ACC, Atlantic 10, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Big West, Colonial, Conference USA, Metro Atlantic, Mountain West, Pac-12, SEC, Sun Belt, West Coast and Western Athletic.

The eight-team men’s college basketball tournaments (Charleston, Myrtle, ESPN Events and Diamond Head) will feature 12 games through three days, while the NIT Season Tip-off and Vegas Showdown will include four teams and four games. Teams will compete in one game per day, advancing through the bracket. Each tournament will crown a champion on the final day.

Matchups, times and ESPN platform designations for all events will be released at a later date.

ESPN Events Men’s College Basketball Tournaments (2023-24 Season)

Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic | November 16, 17 and 19

TD Arena | Charleston, S.C.

Teams: Dayton, Houston, LSU, North Texas, St. John’s, Towson, Utah, Wake Forest

Myrtle Beach Invitational | November 16, 17 and 19

HTC Center | Conway, S.C.

Teams: Coastal Carolina, Charleston, Furman, Liberty, Saint Louis, Vermont, Wichita State, Wyoming

NIT Season Tip-Off | November 22 and 24

Barclays Center | Brooklyn, N.Y.

Teams: Baylor, Florida, Oregon State, Pitt

Vegas Showdown | November 23 and 24

Michelob ULTRA Arena | Las Vegas, Nev.

Teams: Arizona State, BYU, NC State, Vanderbilt

ESPN Events Invitational | November 23, 24 and 26

State Farm Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex | KIssimmee, Fla.

Teams: Boise State, Butler, Florida Atlantic, Iowa State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech

Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic | December 22, 23 & 25

SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center | Honolulu, Hawaii

Teams: Georgia Tech, Hawaii, UMass, Nevada, Old Dominion, St. Mary’s, TCU, Temple

For more information on ESPN Events, visit www.espnevents.com

About ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2023, the 32-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, and a college softball event, in addition to a new a college gymnastics event coming in 2024. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, while 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. For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

Media Contact: Amy Ufnowski, [email protected]