The ESPN Events Invitational (previously the Orlando Invitational, Orlando Classic, Old Spice Classic, and Advocare Invitational) is an annual
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
tournament
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
played over
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...
weekend, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. The inaugural tournament was held November, 23, 24, and 26, 2006. The tournament is played at the
State Farm Field House at
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports complex located in the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort, in Bay Lake, Florida, Bay Lake, Florida, United States, near Orlando, Florida, Orlando. The complex includes ni ...
in the
Walt Disney World Resort
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...
near
Orlando, Florida. In the current format, the tournament consists of eight teams from separate conferences. All eight teams are guaranteed three games. Teams who lose in the first round move to the consolation bracket and can finish no better than 5th, while the worst a team can finish that wins in the first round is 4th. The final ranking of the teams is determined by separate games for 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th place. The
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Of its current 11 full members, 10 are located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and ...
serves as the host for the tournament. The 2020 tournament was cancelled because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
Standings history
Brackets
* – Denotes overtime period
2022
*November 24–November 27
2021
*November 25–November 28
2019
*November 28–December 1
2018
*November 22–November 25
2017
*November 23–November 26
2016
*November 24–November 27
2015
*November 26–November 29
2014
*November 27–November 30
2013
*November 28–December 1
2012
*November 24–27
2011
*November 24–27
2010
*November 25–28
2009
*November 26–27, 29
2008
*November 27–28, 30
2007
*November 22–23, 25
2006
*November 23–24, 26
References
External links
Official website
{{NCAA men's college basketball tournament navbox
2006 establishments in Florida
21st century in Orlando, Florida
Basketball competitions in Orlando, Florida
College men's basketball competitions in the United States
College basketball competitions
Recurring sporting events established in 2006
Thanksgiving (United States)
Events at Walt Disney World