The Big Ten and Big East conference tournaments highlight a packed Madison Square Garden college basketball schedule that also features perennial powerhouses Duke, Kentucky, Villanova, Louisville and Syracuse throughout the 2017-2018 season.
For the first time in conference history, the Big Ten Tournament will call New York City home as the power conference holds its annual men’s basketball championship at Madison Square Garden Wednesday, February 28th through Sunday, March 4th.
The Big East Tournament, which has provided many of The Garden’s most memorable college basketball moments, follows the debut of the Big Ten Tournament Wednesday, March 7th through Saturday, March 10th. This will mark the 36th time the season ending conference championship will take place at Madison Square Garden.
The Madison Square Garden college basketball schedule, presented by Advance Auto Parts, will also feature marquee events including the annual 2K Sports Classic, Under Armour Reunion, Jimmy V Classic, Gotham Classic and the introduction of “The Garf”.
Saturday, February 3rd, the inaugural “The Garf” will be held to honor the late Howard Garfinkel. “Garf” was devoted to running Five-Star Basketball Camp from 1966 to 2008, providing guidance to countless players including Michael Jordan and LeBron James, as well as providing a jump start for legendary coaches, including John Calipari and Mike Krzyzewski. This special matchup will showcase five-time national champion Duke and hometown favorite St. John’s.
As the “Presenting Partner of College Hoops” at The Garden, Advance Auto Parts will receive brand exposure inside the arena during a select lineup of premier college basketball tournaments and games. The company will serve as the Presenting Partner of the Holiday Festival and will have branding opportunities at the NIT, Jimmy V Classic, 2K Classic, Gotham Classic and all St. John’s games. In addition, Advance Auto Parts will have the opportunity to engage fans with on-court and digital promotions.
A number of industry leading companies will partner with MSG Sports for the college basketball season, including: Coca-Cola, Under Armour and Kia Motors. All will receive promotion via MSG’s unique array of assets, including digital courtside signage, branding on the multimedia displays, GardenVision and other promotions.
The season kicks off with the nationally televised 2K Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project. The semifinal matchups, which take place on Thursday, November 16th, will feature Virginia Tech vs. Saint Louis followed by Providence vs. Washington. All four teams will return on Friday, November 17th for the consolation and championship games.
Seton Hall collides with Texas Tech and Temple takes on South Carolina in the 2017 Under Armour Reunion on November 30th. South Carolina revisits The Garden just eight months after the Gamecocks paved their way to the Final Four through the NCAA East Regional at Madison Square Garden.
The Jimmy V Classic returns to The Garden for the 15th consecutive year on Tuesday, December 5th, featuring a revival of the ‘old’ Big East rivalry of Syracuse vs. UConn. National powerhouses Gonzaga and Villanova meet for the first time in their storied histories for the final game of the doubleheader. All four teams will come together to raise funds for The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
The Monmouth Hawks take on the eight-time national champion Kentucky Wildcats in the CITI HOOPS CLASSIC on December 9th. Kentucky head coach John Calipari, one of the nation’s most decorated coaches, will be led by tri-state locals Hamidou Diallo and Nick Richards. This will be the Monmouth Hawks’ first trip to MSG in more than 20 years.
The Gotham Classic is set to take place at The Garden one week later, featuring the 90th meeting between Louisville and Memphis on Saturday, December 16th. The rivalry dates back to 1949 with Louisville leading the series 53-36.
The annual Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival Presented by Advance Auto Parts is back in action on Sunday, December 17th, showcasing military academies and local rivalries. The Holiday Festival is the longest-running holiday season college basketball event in the country and will feature Army and Air Force, a showcase of the historic military institutions, in game one. The second pairing will feature St. John’s and Iona, who last faced one another in 1995.
In a preview to the Big Ten Tournament, the conference will make its presence known on Big Ten Super Saturday when play starts on the hardwood in the afternoonwith a changeover to hockey that evening. The unique doubleheader on Saturday, January 20, 2018 will feature Ohio State vs. Minnesota in basketball andMinnesota vs. Michigan State in hockey. The Minnesota Golden Gophers claimed the 2014 NIT Championship at The Garden.
St. John’s will call The Garden home again for the 2017-18 season when they take on conference opponents Villanova on Saturday, January 13th and Seton Hall Saturday, February 24th. Old Big East rivals, Chris Mullin and New York Knicks great Patrick Ewing, meet yet again on The Garden hardwood for a much-anticipated coaching match-up on Tuesday, January 9th when St. John’s hosts Georgetown. This will be their first meeting as head coaches for the two former NBA All-Stars and members of the 1992 USA Dream Team.
The 81st Annual Postseason NIT concludes The Garden’s 2017-18 college basketball slate with the semifinals on Tuesday, March 27th and the Championship set for Thursday, March 29th.
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2017-2018 MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
2K CLASSIC BENEFITING WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT TV TIME
Thursday, November 16 Virginia Tech vs. Saint Louis ESPN2 7:00 PM
Providence vs. Washington ESPN2
Friday, November 17 Consolation Game ESPN2 5:00 PM
Championship Game
UNDER ARMOUR REUNION
Thursday, November 30 Seton Hall vs. Texas Tech TBD 6:30 PM
Temple vs. South Carolina 9:00 PM
JIMMY V CLASSIC
Tuesday, December 5 Gonzaga vs. Villanova ESPN 7:00 PM
Syracuse vs. UConn ESPN 9:00 PM
CITI HOOPS CLASSIC
Saturday, December 9 Monmouth vs. Kentucky TBD 12:00 PM
GOTHAM CLASSIC
Saturday, December 16 Louisville vs. Memphis ESPN2 12:00 PM
MSG HOLIDAY FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY ADVANCE AUTO PARTS
Sunday, December 17 Army vs. Air Force TBD 1:30 PM
Iona vs. St. John’s FS1 4:30 PM
BIG TEN SUPER SATURDAY
Saturday, January 20 Ohio State vs. Minnesota BTN 12:00 PM
THE GARF
Saturday, February 3 Duke vs. St. John’s FOX 12:00 PM
- JOHN’S RED STORM
Tuesday, January 9th Georgetown vs. St. John’s FS1 6:30 PM
Saturday, January 13th Villanova vs. St. John’s TBD 8:00 PM
Saturday, February 24 Seton Hall vs. St. John’s FOX 12:00 PM
BIG TEN MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Wednesday, February 28 Session 1 BTN 6:00 PM
Thursday, March 1 Session 2 BTN 12:00 PM
Thursday, March 1 Session 3 BTN 6:30 PM
Friday, March 2 Session 4 BTN 12:00 PM
Friday, March 2 Session 5 BTN 6:30 PM
Saturday, March 3 Session 6 CBS 2:00 PM
Sunday, March 4 Session 7 CBS 4:30 PM
BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday, March 7 Session 1 FS1 7:00 PM
Thursday, March 8 Session 2 FS1 12:00 PM
Thursday, March 8 Session 3 FS1 7:00 PM
Friday, March 9 Session 4 FS1 6:30 PM
Saturday, March 10 Session 5 FOX 6:30 PM
81st ANNUAL POSTSEASON NIT
Tuesday, March 27 Semifinal Doubleheader ESPN 7:00 PM
Thursday, March 29 Championship Game ESPN 7:00 PM