The Empire Classic is an annual college basketball event played in November. It was formerly known as the 2K Sports Classic and is televised by ESPN. It is a double-elimination tournament with four teams. The current champions are the Michigan Wolverines, who defeated the Louisville Cardinals in the 2019 championship game.
The tournament was first played in 1995 as the 2K Sports Classic. It was originally a four-team invitational event held at Madison Square Garden, with each team playing two games. The event was not held in 1996 but returned in 1997 as the Great Eight Classic. In 1998, the tournament was renamed the 2K Sports Classic and expanded to eight teams. The event was not held in 1999 or 2000 but returned in 2001 as the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The tournament expanded to 16 teams in 2002 and was renamed the NIT Season Tip-Off. The event was not held in 2003 but returned in 2004 as the Maui Invitational. The tournament was not held in 2005 or 2006 but returned in 2007 as the 2K Sports Classic.
The tournament expanded to 24 teams in 2008 and was renamed the 24-team Empire Classic. The event was not held in 2009 or 2010, but returned in 2011 as the 12-team Empire Classic. The tournament was not held in 2012 or 2013, but returned in 2014 as the 2K Sports Classic. The tournament expanded to 32 teams in 2015 and was renamed the 32-team Empire Classic. The event was not held in 2016 or 2017 but returned in 2018 as the 2K Sports Classic. The tournament expanded to 64 teams in 2019 and was renamed the Empire Classic.
Eight teams from eight different conferences were invited to the tournament in 2014, which saw another change in the competition's format. Four regional venues were chosen before the competition, and each location hosted two games. The remaining four teams competed in a tournament format at a selected on-campus location, with the semifinals and finals taking place at Madison Square Garden. Through 2019, this format was still in use.
The Empire Classic was held in T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a showcase event in 2021 after the tournament format was abandoned. The competition featured two doubleheaders contested over the course of two days and featured four teams.
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