Rady Children’s Invitational College Basketball announces teams

By SDCN Editor

San Diego, CA–Sports San Diego officials announced Tuesday that the field for the 2024 Rady Children’s Invitational will include the Arkansas Razorbacks, BYU Cougars, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Purdue Boilermakers. 

The second annual tournament will take place November 28-29 inside LionTree Arena on the campus of UC San Diego.

“We are fired up to have these premier college basketball programs and institutions with amazing traditions and fan bases set to play in San Diego next year,” said Mark Neville, CEO of Sports San Diego, the organization that produces the tournament. “Together with Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, FOX Sports, UC San Diego Athletics, and Global Sports and Events, we endeavor to produce one of the best early-season college basketball tournaments in the country. Part of that means securing top basketball programs year after year. We are extremely proud of this 2024 field.”

Fans who purchase tickets to the 2023 Rady Children’s Invitational will have priority tickets for the 2024 tournament.

The inaugural Rady Children’s Invitational tips off this Thanksgiving, November 23 at 12 p.m. with two games. Two games will also be played Friday, November 24 starting at 12:30 p.m. 

The tournament includes the Iowa Hawkeyes, USC Trojans, Seton Hall Pirates, and the Oklahoma Sooners. The games will air nationally on FS1 on November 23 and FOX on November 24.

“We’re thrilled that the Rady Children’s Invitational is attracting some of the best college programs in the country to our region and shining the national spotlight on San Diego,” 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. “Whether as a spectator or a participant, sports like basketball have the power to bring families together, and that’s what we’re all about at Rady Children’s.”

The Arkansas Razorbacks are a top-25 program all-time in winning percentage (.641), a top-20 program by games played, a top-20 program by NCAA Tournament games won, and a top-15 program in Final Four appearances with six.

The BYU Cougars have won 27 conference championships and competed in 29 NCAA Tournaments.BYU has also won 1,786 games, ranking 12th among all Division I programs.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have made 37 NCAA tournament appearances, which includes 17 appearances in the Sweet Sixteen, and seven trips to the Elite 8. Notre Dame leads all schools with three of the 18 total three-time Consensus All-American selections.

The Purdue Boilermakers have reached the Final Four twice, have won 25 Big Ten titles, and have made the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 an impressive 13 times. In addition, Purdue has sent 30 players to the NBA.

Ticket prices for the 2023 event range from $35 to $125 per day. Each day includes two games.  Two-day tickets are also available. Fans wanting to purchase tickets are encouraged to visit www.RadyChildrensInvitational.com. $5 from each ticket sold will be donated to Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego