Crossover Classic
SportCollege basketball
Founded2020 (men and women)
FounderSanford Health
No. of teams4
CountryUnited States
Venue(s)Sanford Pentagon
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
TV partner(s)ESPN
Related
competitions		Battle 4 Atlantis
Official websiteCrossover Classic

The Crossover Classic (branded as the Crossover Classic presented by Mammoth Sports Construction for sponsorship reasons) is an early-season college basketball tournament that first took place November 25–30, 2020, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The tournament was originally established in 2020, intending to be a de facto substitute for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament following its cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic; organizers invited all of the teams that had been invited to participate that year, but due to withdrawals only two of the originally-invited teams participated. The tournament returned for 2021, this time as a four-team round robin event.

Background

The Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Nassau, Bahamas was cancelled due to logistical issues tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the wake of the decision, a representative of the event was contacted by one of the teams' coaches, suggesting that an event could be held at the Pentagon.[1] Attempts were made to invite all of the teams who had originally been slated to compete at the 2020 edition of the Battle 4 Atlantis, with only Duke declining. South Dakota had among the highest rates of new COVID-19 cases per-capita nationwide, but the tournament and venue's association with the local Sanford Health system was stated by organizers as allowing them to "put together a plan to make this a safe environment for all the teams that have committed to playing here."[1]

Creighton, Dayton, Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Utah dropped out of the tournament prior to the event. The day before the tournament was scheduled to begin, Wichita State withdrew due to a COVID-19 outbreak on the team, leaving only two of the originally-invited teams left.[2] It was originally planning to admit a limited number of spectators per-game, but on November 23 it was announced that the tournament would be played behind closed doors with no spectators admitted.[3]

The tournament returned for 2021, switching to a round-robin format with four invited teams.[4]

Tournament history

Tournament champions

Year Winner Score Opponent(s) Tournament MVP
2020 West Virginia 70-64 Western Kentucky Derek Culver
2021 Nevada South Dakota State 102-75 (L), George Mason 88-69 (W), Washington 81-62 (W) South Dakota State, George Mason, Washington Grant Sherfield

Brackets

2020

5th Place Game
November 27		Consolation 2nd Round
November 26		First Round
November 25		Semifinals
November 26		Championship
November 27
Memphis73
Saint Mary's56
Saint Mary's66Memphis69
Northern Iowa64Western Kentucky75
Northern Iowa87
Western Kentucky93
Saint Mary's72Western Kentucky64
South Dakota State59West Virginia70
South Dakota State71
15West Virginia79
7th Place GameSouth Dakota State8315West Virginia783rd Place Game
Utah State59VCU66
Northern Iowa71Utah State69Memphis59
Utah State82VCU85VCU70

2021

The 2021 edition of the Crossover Classic was a round-robin tournament held from November 22-24, played between South Dakota State, Washington, Nevada and George Mason.[5][6]

References

  1. 1 2 Zimmer, Matt. "Crossover Classic: How big-time college basketball landed in Sioux Falls". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  2. ↑ "Wichita State basketball out of tournament after 'multiple' positive COVID-19 tests". Kansas.com.
  3. ↑ Zimmer, Matt. "No fans allowed at Crossover Classic". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  4. ↑ Zimmer, Matt. "South Dakota State basketball returns to Sanford Pentagon for Crossover Classic". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  5. ↑ Heinert, Paul. "Crossover Classic returns to Sanford Pentagon for 2021". sanfordhealth.org. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Huskies to Play in 2021 Crossover Classic at Sanford Pentagon". GoHuskies.com. University of Washington Athletics. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
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