Rady Children’s Hospital launch new college basketball tournament
By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–Rady’s Children’s Hospital and Sports San Diego, the producers of the Holiday Bowl, have teamed up to launch a new invitational, annual college basketball tournament that will take place during the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Rady Children’s Invitational will feature four NCAA Division 1 teams from top conferences, the inaugural event is positioned to be one of the premier invitational tournaments in the country.
The two-day event will be played at UC San Diego’s LionTree Arena and games will be televised by FOX Sports. The field includes the Iowa Hawkeyes (Big Ten), USC Trojans (Pac-12), Seton Hall Pirates (Big East), and the Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12). First-day matchups and tip times will be announced in the coming months. The third place and championship games will take place on Day 2. Fields for future years will be announced at a later date.
“Sports events have been a pillar of the tourism industry in San Diego,” said Mark Neville, CEO of Sports San Diego. “Together with Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, FOX Sports, UC San Diego Athletics, and Global Sports and Events – we endeavor to produce the very best and most special early-season college basketball tournament in the country. San Diego is the perfect place to do this.”
“Whether shooting hoops in the driveway, participating in a pickup game at the court down the street, or watching talented athletes as a spectator, basketball brings families together,” said Stephen Jennings, Senior Vice President, and Chief External Affairs Officer at Rady Children’s Hospital and Executive Director at Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation.
The University of Iowa Hawkeyes have played in 28 NCAA tournaments, and eight NIT tournaments won eight Big Ten regular-season conference championships, and won the Big Ten tournament three times. Iowa has played in the Final Four on three occasions.
USC has notched 14 conference championships, 20 NCAA tournament appearances, played in five Sweet Sixteen games, four Elite Eight games, and appeared in two Final Fours.
Seton Hall has logged 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. They were the tournament runner-up in 1989 and have played in four Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games.
The University of Oklahoma Sooners has earned a spot in the NCAA tournament 33 times, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen on 11 occasions. They have appeared in the championship game twice. They have also won its conference championship 14 times.
Ticket prices range from $35 to $125 per session. Full tournament tickets will be available. Tickets go on sale on March 31. Fans wanting to receive the first opportunity to purchase tickets are encouraged to visit www.RadyChildrensInvitational.com. In addition, $5 per ticket sold will be donated to Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.
