Empire Classic

This article is about the tournament known as the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic from 1995 to 2011 and 2K Sports Classic from 2012 to 2018. For the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic held from 2012 to 2014, see Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. For the thoroughbred race horse, see Classic Empire. For the video game Empire, see Empire (1977 video game).

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. (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.^[1]) In 2019, the 2K Sports Classic was renamed the 2K Empire Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, commonly referred to as the "Empire Classic".

Empire Classic

Formerly	Atlantic City Shootout (1995) Coaches vs. Cancer Classic (1996–2011) 2K Sports Classic (2012–2019)
Sport	College Basketball
Founded	1995
No. of teams	2
Country	United States
Venue(s)	Madison Square Garden
Most titles	Duke Blue Devils
Broadcaster(s)	ESPN
Sponsor(s)	Saatva
Official website

A 2K Sports Classic game in 2008

History

The first two events were doubleheader showcases held at the Atlantic City Convention Center (now Boardwalk Hall). From 1997 through 2001, the event was played as a tournament. Princeton won the first tournament in 1997, which took place at Continental Airlines Arena in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

In 1998, the event moved to Madison Square Garden in New York City, where it remained through 2019. In both 2002 and 2003, it was played as a showcase doubleheader. In 2004, it became a tournament again, with a new format as a 16-team event with teams from 16 separate conferences. Four predetermined regional round hosts played two games at home and the winners play in the semifinals and finals at Madison Square Garden. Syracuse won the first tournament played in this format, beating Memphis, 77–62, in 2004.

In 2007, Gardner–Webb unexpectedly won at Kentucky, 84–68, and advanced to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden, preventing one of the tournament's marquee teams from playing there. To ensure that the marquee teams would play in the semifinals in the 2008 tournament, the semifinalists were predetermined, regardless of the results of the regional rounds. Beginning in 2009, the format was revised to a 12-team field and each team was guaranteed four games in the tournament, with the semifinalists advancing to Madison Square Garden and the remaining eight teams being split into two subregional tournaments played at predetermined campus sites.

In 2014, the tournament format changed again, with eight teams from eight separate conferences invited to the tournament. Two games were held at four different regional sites selected before the tournament. The semifinals and finals were held at Madison Square Garden and the remaining four teams played in a tournament format at a predetermined on-campus site. This format persisted through 2019.

With the COVID-19 pandemic raging in the United States during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the Empire Classic was one of the very few multiteam events held during the fall of 2020.^[2] With no fans permitted to attend, it took place behind closed doors at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Only four teams participated. Baylor withdrew from it after head coach Scott Drew tested positive for COVID-19;^[2] Rhode Island replaced Baylor.^[2]

In 2021, the tournament format was dropped, and the Empire Classic took place as a showcase event at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. Four teams participated, and the event consisted of two doubleheaders played over the course of two days,^[3][4]

The 2024 Empire Classic will return to a showcase format with Maryland facing Villanova at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.^[5]

Yearly champions, runners-up, and MVPs

Year	Winner	Score	Opponent	Tournament MVP	Other participants	Venue
2024	Showcase Format – No Tournament					Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
2023	UConn	81–71	Texas	Tristen Newton, UConn	Indiana, Louisville	Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
2022	St. John's	76–69	Syracuse	André Curbelo, St. John's	Richmond, Temple	Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
2021	Showcase Format – No Tournament					T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
20201	Villanova	83–74	Arizona State	Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova	Boston College, Rhode Island	Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
2019	Duke	81–73	Georgetown	Vernon Carey Jr., Duke	Texas, California	Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
2018	Iowa	91–72	Connecticut	Luka Garza, Iowa	Syracuse, Oregon
2017	Providence	90–63	Saint Louis	Kyron Cartwright, Providence	Virginia Tech, Washington
2016	Michigan	76–54	SMU	Zak Irvin, Michigan	Pittsburgh, Marquette
2015	Duke	86–84	Georgetown	Grayson Allen, Duke	Wisconsin, VCU
2014	Texas	71–55	California	Jonathan Holmes, Texas	Syracuse, Iowa
2013	Connecticut	59–58	Indiana	Shabazz Napier, Connecticut	Boston College, Washington
2012	Alabama	77–55	Villanova	Trevor Releford, Alabama	Oregon State, Purdue
2011	Mississippi State	67–57	Arizona	Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State	St. John's, Texas A&M
2010	Pittsburgh	68–66	Texas	Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh	Illinois, Maryland
2009	Syracuse	87–71	North Carolina	Wesley Johnson, Syracuse	California, Ohio State
2008	Duke	71–56	Michigan	Kyle Singler, Duke	UCLA, Southern Illinois
2007	Memphis	81–70	Connecticut	Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis	Gardner–Webb, Oklahoma
2006	Maryland	62–60	Michigan State	D. J. Strawberry, Maryland	St. John's, Texas
2005	Florida	75–70	Syracuse	Taurean Green, Florida	Texas Tech, Wake Forest
2004	Syracuse	77–62	Memphis	Hakim Warrick, Syracuse	Mississippi State, St. Mary's
2003	Showcase Format – No Tournament
2002	Showcase Format – No Tournament
2001	Arizona	75–71	Florida	Jason Gardner, Arizona	Maryland, Temple
2000	Kansas	82–74	St. John's	Kenny Gregory, Kansas	Kentucky, UCLA
1999	Stanford	72–58	Iowa	Jarron Collins, Stanford	Connecticut, Duke
1998	Temple	59–48	Wake Forest	Lamont Barnes, Temple	Georgetown, Illinois
1997	Princeton	38–36	North Carolina State	Brian Earl, Princeton	Georgia, Texas	Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1996	Showcase Format – No Tournament					Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
1995	Showcase Format – No Tournament

¹Tournament held behind closed doors at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most Championships

Championships	Teams
3	Duke (2008, 2015, 2019)
2	Syracuse (2004, 2009), UConn (2013, 2023)

Updated through 2023 event.

Most appearances

Appearances	Teams
7	Texas (1997, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2019, 2023), Syracuse (2002, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2018, 2022)
5	UConn (1999, 2007, 2013, 2018, 2023), St. John's (2000, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2022)
4	Marquette (1995, 2002, 2003, 2016), Temple (1996, 1998, 2001, 2022), Duke (1999, 2008, 2015, 2019), Memphis (2002, 2003, 2004, 2007), California (2004, 2009, 2014, 2019)
3	Georgetown (1998, 2015, 2019), Wake Forest (1998, 2003, 2005), Iowa (1999, 2014, 2018), UCLA (2000, 2008, 2021), Maryland (2001, 2006, 2010), Alabama (2002, 2003, 2012), Villanova (2002, 2012, 2020), Pittsburgh (2003, 2010, 2016), UC-Irvine (2005, 2010, 2013), Alcorn State (2006, 2009, 2014), Prairie View (2008, 2015, 2019)

Updated through 2023 event.

Participants and brackets

* – Denotes overtime period

1995

Showcase Format – No Tournament

Game 1       Penn State 88 Penn 61

Game 2       La Salle 68 Marquette 65

1996

Showcase Format – No Tournament

Game 1       Temple 76 Georgia Tech 58

Game 2       Saint Joseph's 67 21 Tulsa 64

1997

	Semifinals					Championship
		NC State	47
	19	Georgia	45
						Princeton		38
						NC State		36
		Princeton	62
	22	Texas	56			Consolation
						19	Georgia	89
						22	Texas	87

1998

	Semifinals					Championship
	Wake Forest		75*
	Illinois		73
						7	Temple	59
							Wake Forest	48
	7	Temple	65
		Georgetown	49			Consolation
						Illinois		65
						Georgetown		50

1999

	Semifinals					Championship
	13	Stanford	80*
	10	Duke	79
						13	Stanford	72
							Iowa	58
		Iowa	70
	1	Connecticut	68			Consolation
						1	Connecticut	71
						10	Duke	66

2000

	Semifinals					Championship
	7	Kansas	99
	17	UCLA	98
						7	Kansas	82
							St. John's	74
		St. John's	62
	12	Kentucky	61			Consolation
						17	UCLA	97
						12	Kentucky	92

2001

	Semifinals					Championship
		Arizona	71
	2	Maryland	67
							Arizona	75
						6	Florida	71
	6	Florida	72
	16	Temple	64			Consolation
						2	Maryland	82
						16	Temple	74

2002

Showcase Format – No Tournament

Game 1       Memphis 70 Syracuse 63

Game 2       8 Alabama 68 3 Oklahoma 62

Game 3       18 Marquette 73 Villanova 61

Game 4       4 Texas 77 16 Georgia 71

2003

Showcase Format – No Tournament

Game 1       21 Wake Forest 85 Memphis 76

Game 2       23 Marquette 52 St. John's 45

Game 3       22 Pittsburgh 71 Alabama 62

Game 4       18 Saint Joseph's 73 12 Gonzaga 66

2004

Syracuse Memphis Mississippi State California

Alabama A&M Belmont Birmingham–Southern Bucknell

Fairfield George Mason IPFW Northern Colorado

Princeton Savannah State Saint Mary's UC-Riverside

	Semifinals					Championship
	6	Syracuse	71
	14	Mississippi State	58
						6	Syracuse	77
						23	Memphis	62
	23	Memphis	81
		Saint Mary's	66			Consolation
						14	Mississippi State	67
							Saint Mary's	54

2005

Florida Syracuse Wake Forest Texas Tech

Albany Bethune–Cookman Cornell George Mason

Georgia Southern Mississippi Valley State Oakland Portland

St. Francis (Pennsylvania) St. Peter's San Jose State UC Irvine

	Semifinals					Championship
	16	Syracuse	81
		Texas Tech	46
							Florida	75
						16	Syracuse	70
		Florida	77
	18	Wake Forest	72			Consolation
						18	Wake Forest	78**
							Texas Tech	73

2006

Maryland Michigan State Texas St. John's

Alcorn State Brown Central Michigan Chicago State

Hampton Loyola Maryland Navy New Orleans

North Florida St. Bonaventure Vermont Youngstown State

	Semifinals					Championship
		Michigan State	63
	18	Texas	61
						Maryland		62
						Michigan State		60
	Maryland		92
	St. John's		60			Consolation
						18	Texas	77
							St. John's	66

2007

Memphis Connecticut Kentucky Oklahoma

Alabama A&M Buffalo Central Arkansas Denver

East Central (Oklahoma) Gardner–Webb Maine Morgan State

Ohio Valley Richmond San Francisco Tennessee–Martin

	Semifinals					Championship
	3	Memphis	63
		Oklahoma	53
						3	Memphis	81
							Connecticut	70
	Connecticut		78
	Gardner–Webb		66			Consolation
						Oklahoma		69
						Gardner–Webb		55

2008

[6] Duke Michigan Southern Illinois UCLA

Arkansas–Monticello California University of Pennsylvania Georgia Southern Houston

IUPUI Massachusetts Miami (OH) Michigan Tech

Northeastern Prairie View A&M Presbyterian Weber State

	Semifinals					Championship
		Michigan	55
	4	UCLA	52
						5	Duke	71
							Michigan	56
	5	Duke	83
		Southern Illinois	58			Consolation
						4	UCLA	77
							Southern Illinois	60

2009

[7] Syracuse North Carolina Ohio State California

Albany Alcorn State Detroit Florida International

Robert Morris James Madison Murray State North Carolina Central

	Semifinals					Championship
	24	Syracuse	95
	12	California	73
						24	Syracuse	87
						4	North Carolina	71
	4	North Carolina	77
	15	Ohio State	73			Consolation
						12	California	60
						15	Ohio State	76

2010

[8] Pittsburgh Illinois Maryland Texas

Charleston UIC Louisiana Tech Navy

Rhode Island Seattle Toledo UC Irvine

	Semifinals					Championship
	4	Pittsburgh	79
		Maryland	70
						4	Pittsburgh	68
						22	Texas	66
	16	Illinois	84
		Texas	90*			Consolation
						16	Illinois	80
							Maryland	76

2011

[9] Mississippi State Arizona St. John's Texas A&M

Akron Duquesne Eastern Kentucky Hiram

IU Kokomo Lehigh Liberty UDC

Valparaiso William & Mary

	Semifinals					Championship
	18	Texas A&M	60
		Mississippi State	69
							Mississippi State	67
						16	Arizona	57
		St. John's	72
	16	Arizona	81			Consolation
						18	Texas A&M	58
							St. John's	57

2012

[10] Alabama Villanova Purdue Oregon State

Bucknell Hofstra Marshall New Mexico State

Niagara Northern New Mexico South Dakota State UDC

West Alabama

	Semifinals November 15 ESPN2					Championship November 16 ESPN2
	Alabama		65
	Oregon State		62
						Alabama		77
						Villanova		55
	Villanova		89*
	Purdue		81			Consolation
						Oregon State		66
						Purdue		58

2013

[11] Connecticut Indiana Boston College Washington

Boston University Detroit Eastern Washington Florida Atlantic

LIU Brooklyn Stony Brook Toledo UC Irvine

	Semifinals November 21 ESPN2					Championship November 22 ESPN2
	Indiana		102
	Washington		84
							Indiana	58
						18	Connecticut	59
	18	Connecticut	72
		Boston College	70			Consolation
						Washington		78
						Boston College		89

2014

[12] Texas Syracuse Iowa California

Alcorn State Hampton Kennesaw State North Dakota State

	Semifinals November 20 ESPN2					Championship November 21 ESPN2
	10	Texas	71
		Iowa	57
						10	Texas	71
							California	55
	23	Syracuse	59
		California	73			Consolation
						23	Syracuse	66
							Iowa	63

2015

Duke Georgetown VCU Wisconsin

Bryant Prairie View A&M Radford Siena

	Semifinals November 20 ESPN2					Championship November 22 ESPN
	5	Duke	79
		VCU	71
						5	Duke	86
							Georgetown	84
	Wisconsin		61
	Georgetown		71			Consolation
						VCU		73
						Wisconsin		74

2016

[13] Michigan SMU Pittsburgh Marquette

Eastern Michigan Howard IUPUI Gardner–Webb

	Semifinals November 17					Championship November 18
	Pittsburgh		67
	SMU		76
						SMU		54
						Michigan		76
	Michigan		79
	Marquette		61			Consolation
						Pittsburgh		78
						Marquette		75

2017

	Semifinals November 16 ESPN2					Championship November 17 ESPN2
		Providence	77
		Washington	70
							Providence	90
							Saint Louis	63
		Virginia Tech	71
		Saint Louis	77			Consolation
							Washington	79
							Virginia Tech	103

	Nashville Subregional Semifinals November 18					Championship November 19
		Seattle	102
		Detroit Mercy	71
							Seattle	77
							Belmont	90
		Houston Baptist	88
		Belmont	93			Consolation
							Detroit Mercy	116
							Houston Baptist	109

2018

^[14][15]

Semifinals November 15 ESPN2 Championship November 16 ESPN2               Connecticut 83 15 Syracuse 76   Connecticut 72   Iowa 91   Iowa 77 13 Oregon 69 Consolation 15 Syracuse 65 13 Oregon 80

Cheney Subregional Semifinals November 16 Championship November 17               Morehead State 99   UMKC 89   Morehead State 70   Green Bay 87   Green Bay 82*   Eastern Washington 78 Consolation   UMKC 80   Eastern Washington 87OT

2019

^[16]

Semifinals November 21 ESPN2 Championship November 22 ESPN2               Georgetown 82 22 Texas 66   Georgetown 73 1 Duke 81 1 Duke 87   California 52 Consolation 22 Texas 62   California 45

Riverside Subregional Semifinals November 22 Championship November 23               Georgia State 83   Prairie View A&M 74   Georgia State 69   California Baptist 60   Central Arkansas 98   California Baptist 104** Consolation   Prairie View A&M 78   Central Arkansas 72

2020

The 2020 tournament was held November 25–26 behind closed doors at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut as a result of COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions.

	Semifinals November 25 ESPN					Championship November 26 ESPN
	3	Villanova	76
		Boston College	67
						3	Villanova	83
						18	Arizona State	74
		Rhode Island	88
	18	Arizona State	94			Consolation
							Boston College	69
							Rhode Island	64

2021

The top two teams in the country, Gonzaga and UCLA,^[17] headlined the 27th annual Empire Classic, held at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 22 and 23. Joining them were Central Michigan and Bellarmine.^[18] The format reverted to a showcase event.

Showcase Format – No Tournament

November 22, 2021       2 UCLA 75 Bellarmine 62

November 22, 2021       1 Gonzaga 107 Central Michigan 54

November 23, 2021       2 UCLA 63 1 Gonzaga 83

November 23, 2021         Bellarmine 76   Central Michigan 69

2022

The tournament took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on November 21 and 22, 2022.^[19]

Game recaps: ^{[20][21][22][23]}

	Semifinals November 21 ESPN2/ESPNU				Championship November 22 ESPN2
	Syracuse	74*
	Richmond	71
					Syracuse	69
					St. John's	76*
	St. John's	78
	Temple	72			Consolation
					Richmond	61
					Temple	49

2023

The tournament took place on November 19 and 20, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York.^[24]

	Semifinals November 19 ESPN2/ESPNU				Championship November 20 ESPN2
	No. 5 UConn	77
	Indiana	57
					No. 5 UConn	81
					No. 15 Texas	71
	No. 19 Texas	81
	Louisville	80			Consolation
					Indiana	74
					Louisville	66

2024

Villanova and Maryland will square off in the Showcase Game of the 2024 Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project on November 24, 2024 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.^[5]

Showcase Format – No Tournament

November 24, 2024 Prudential Center Newark, New Jersey Villanova 75 Maryland 76