A new college basketball tournament, the College Basketball Crown, is set to debut in March 2025 in Las Vegas, running through April 6 at the MGM Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena. Teams that did not make the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament field of 68 will have a chance to qualify for this 16-team tournament. The Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East Conferences will have automatic entries, with additional teams being selected by a committee. Fox Sports and AEG are spearheading this new tournament, with Fox EVP Jason Bazant expressing excitement about providing more opportunities for student-athletes to compete at a high level.
With the inclusion of major conferences like the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East, the College Basketball Crown is expected to be a significant competitor to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), which has been a longstanding postseason tournament in college basketball. This new tournament will provide a platform for teams that narrowly missed out on the NCAA Tournament to showcase their skills and compete for a championship. The tournament is seen as a way to add more excitement and opportunities for college basketball players, as well as for viewers to enjoy the competition for the Crown.
Fox Sports, alongside AEG and the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East Conferences, is working to elevate and evolve postseason college basketball with the introduction of the College Basketball Crown. With these major conferences on board, the tournament is likely to attract a high level of interest and viewership, especially given Fox’s coverage of Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East games on its programming. The goal is to provide student-athletes with more opportunities to compete in postseason college hoops and for fans to enjoy the thrilling competition for the Crown.
The College Basketball Crown will join other postseason tournaments like the College Basketball Invitational and the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in offering college basketball teams an opportunity to extend their season and vie for a championship. These tournaments provide an additional platform for teams to continue playing beyond the regular season and showcase their skills on a national stage. With the backing of Fox Sports and major conferences, the College Basketball Crown is poised to become a prominent fixture in the college basketball postseason landscape.
As Fox Corp. continues to expand its sports programming and coverage, the addition of the College Basketball Crown will further enhance its presence in the college basketball world. With Fox News and Fox Sports under its umbrella, the company is making strides to promote and elevate the sport of college basketball through innovative initiatives like the College Basketball Crown. The tournament is not only aimed at providing more opportunities for student-athletes but also at engaging viewers and fans in the excitement and drama of postseason college hoops, adding another layer of excitement to the college basketball postseason.
