Crossover Classic
 | |
| Sport | College basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 (men and women) |
| Founder | Sanford Health |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Country | United States |
| Venue(s) | Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, South Dakota |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN |
| Related competitions | Battle 4 Atlantis |
| Official website | Crossover 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 | |||||||||||||||||||
Western Kentucky | 93 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Mary's | 72 | Western Kentucky | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota State | 59 | West Virginia | 70 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota State | 71 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | West Virginia | 79 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th Place Game | South Dakota State | 83 | 15 | West Virginia | 78 | 3rd Place Game | |||||||||||||||||
| Utah State | 59 | VCU | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 71 | Utah State | 69 | Memphis | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Utah State | 82 | VCU | 85 | VCU | 70 | ||||||||||||||||||
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]
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References
- ^ a b Zimmer, Matt. "Crossover Classic: How big-time college basketball landed in Sioux Falls". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
- ^ "Wichita State basketball out of tournament after 'multiple' positive COVID-19 tests". Kansas.com.
- ^ Zimmer, Matt. "No fans allowed at Crossover Classic". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
- ^ Zimmer, Matt. "South Dakota State basketball returns to Sanford Pentagon for Crossover Classic". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
- ^ Heinert, Paul. "Crossover Classic returns to Sanford Pentagon for 2021". sanfordhealth.org. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- ^ "Huskies to Play in 2021 Crossover Classic at Sanford Pentagon". GoHuskies.com. University of Washington Athletics. Retrieved 14 June 2021.