Crossover Classic

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Crossover Classic
Crossover Classic Logo.png
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
                                               
       Memphis  73  
       Saint Mary's  56  
     Saint Mary's  66          Memphis  69  
     Northern Iowa  64          Western Kentucky  75  
     Northern Iowa  87
       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  
   South Dakota State  83        15  West Virginia  78
  7th Place Game
       Utah State  59          VCU  66     3rd Place Game
     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]

References[]

  1. ^ a b 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.

External links[]

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