On Monday, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported that the 2017 CBE Classic in Kansas City would feature four perennial NCAA Tournament teams from power leagues — UCLA, Baylor, Wisconsin, and the Creighton Bluejays.
Unlike some exempt tourneys in recent years, no matter which direction you look in this one, there’s enticing matchups. Another game against Wisconsin, annually one of the Big Ten’s best? Sure! A rematch with Baylor after the debacle in the 2014 NCAA Tourney that ended the careers of Doug McDermott, Grant Gibbs, and Jahenns Manigat? You bet! An opportunity to once again beat the coach Jays fans love to hate more than any other, Steve Alford, at his latest school — and one that just so happens to also sport the letters “U C L A” on their unis? Uh huh!
And the tourney takes place a short road trip away in Kansas City?
Um, yeah!
Creighton fans have a lot of great memories from tournaments in KC, and not just because the Jays have been wildly successful in those events. The crowds (with the exception of a wild 2004 game against Mizzou) have been virtual home games, given the proximity of KC to Omaha, and the opponents have almost all been the type of power conference teams the Valley-Era Jays could rarely schedule. They toppled Providence 63-51 in front of a highly-partisan CU crowd in the 2000 Energia Systems Thanksgiving Tourney, before losing the title game to Toledo, and then won both the 2002 and 2004 Guardians Classic events. They blew out IUPUI 99-52 and bested eventual-top-ten ranked Notre Dame 80-75 in 2002, and in 2004, smoked Missouri 78-54 in the first game and Ohio State 65-63 in overtime the next night. All three years, the games were instrumental resume builders for eventual NCAA Tournament teams.
The Guardians Classic was renamed the CBE Hall Of Fame Classic in 2006, after the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City, meaning the Jays have won this event twice before. ESPN has been the TV partner for the event in recent years, with this year’s games airing on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. Each of the four headliners will play two games on campus against “buy game”-type opponents, followed by two games against each other in Kansas City at the Sprint Center.
The tourney has traditionally taken place the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, so start making your BBQ and Basketball plans now!