24^th annual men’s doubleheader culminating event for V Week for Cancer Research

The 2018 Jimmy V Men’s Basketball Classic doubleheader will feature Florida, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and West Virginia– to be played on Tuesday, Dec. 4. The 24^th annual event will air on ESPN – pitting Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma at 7 p.m. ET, and West Virginia against Florida at 9 p.m. Both matchups will be played at the World’s Most Famous Arena – Madison Square Garden.

This marks the fourth year Florida has participated in the Classic, having previously played in the event in 1999, 2013 and 2016, with West Virginia making its third appearance (2008, 2015) and Notre Dame making its second (2007). Oklahoma will play in their first Jimmy V Classic this December. The schools have combined for 13 Final Four appearances, and have all advanced to the Elite Eight or further in the NCAA Tournament over the last decade.

Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma: This is the first meeting between the Fighting Irish and the Sooners.

West Virginia vs. Florida: The two teams played each other in the 2016 Big 12/SEC Challenge, with the Gators defeating the Mountaineers.

The early-season event will be part of the 12th annual V Week for Cancer Research – the weeklong initiative across multiple ESPN platforms and programs featuring special content to help raise funds for cancer research. ESPN’s 2017 V Week for Cancer Research raised a record-setting $4.5 million for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Over the past 11 years, V Week has raised $22.2 million for cancer research. The V Foundation is currently in its 25th anniversary with the goal of achieving Victory Over Cancer®.

Coaches Quotes

“We are honored to be a part of this year’s Jimmy V Classic and help support the V Foundation. It is one of the signature events of the college basketball season and to get back to The Garden and face a Power Five opponent on national television will be a great opportunity for our group.” Mike Brey, Notre Dame head coach

“We are honored to participate in the 2018 Jimmy V Classic and support the V Foundation’s work in cancer research. It will be an incredible opportunity for our team to be a part of the rich basketball history at Madison Square Garden. Mike Brey has done a phenomenal job with the Notre Dame program and we look forward to facing them in the heart of our non-conference schedule.” Lon Kruger, Oklahoma head coach

“We are honored to play in such a special event for a great cause, and I know our fans will be excited to see us play on ESPN and in Madison Square Garden. The Jimmy V Classic is one of the premier events during the college basketball season, and the Jimmy V Classic during V Week brings awareness to such a terrible disease because every one of us has been affected by cancer in one way or another. When we lost our mother in 2003, my family and I started the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment Fund, and we have raised more than two million dollars in cancer research. We all need to join the fight to end this deadly disease.” Bob Huggins, West Virginia head coach

“The Jimmy V Classic is a special event, and we’re really excited for Florida to be part of it again. It’s a fantastic opportunity to play a high-level opponent in one of the best basketball venues in the world. Beyond the court, the work that the V Foundation does to fund cancer research is so important, and we’re glad the Gators can have a role in helping support that mission.” Mike White, Florida head coach

Tickets for the Jimmy V Men’s Classic will be available for purchase at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, Ticketmaster charge by phone at (866) 858-0008 and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com at a later date to be announced.

About the V Foundation for Cancer Research
The V Foundation for Cancer Research is dedicated to declaring victory over cancer.  It was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, the Foundation has funded more than $200 million in cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of all direct cash donations to cancer research and related programs. Due to generous donors, the Foundation has an endowment that covers administrative expenses.  The Foundation awards peer-reviewed grants through a competitive awards process vetted by a Scientific Advisory Committee.  For more information on the V Foundation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.

ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 31 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 14 college bowl games, 12 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 300-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

Collegiate Football
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (Houston); AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (St. Petersburg, Fla.); Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Heart of Dallas (Dallas-Fort Worth); Frisco Bowl (Texas); New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff (Montgomery, Ala.); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Atlanta); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.) and The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta)

Collegiate Basketball

AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Fort Bliss, Texas); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic Presented by Corona (TBD); Myrtle Beach Invitational (Conway, S.C.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off; State Farm Champions Classic (Indianapolis) and Wooden Legacy (Fullerton, Calif.)

For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

-30-