By SAM LANCE
FOX Sports and AEG have announced the creation of the College Basketball Crown, a new college hoops postseason tournament alternative starting in 2025.
The event will bring together teams from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East conferences, along with other at-large selections. The tournament will be hosted in Las Vegas at MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena from March 31 to April 6, 2025, with FOX and FS1 broadcasting the games.
Eligibility for the College Basketball Crown is only for teams that miss out on the NCAA tournament. Each participating conference will have two teams automatically qualify, with the remainder of the teams being filled by selections from a committee.
“Postseason college basketball is one of the most exciting times of year and FOX Sports is proud to be at the forefront of efforts to evolve and elevate the sport,” said Jordan Bazant, Executive Vice President, FOX Sports. “Alongside AEG and the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East, we are thrilled to provide more opportunities for student-athletes to compete in high quality postseason college hoops and for viewers to enjoy the chase for the College Basketball Crown.”
AEG Global Partnerships will exclusively handle all commercial sales and sponsorship activities for the College Basketball Crown, while FOX Sports will manage the media rights and broadcast sales for the event.
“We are thrilled to join FOX Sports, the Big Ten, Big 12 and BIG EAST who share our vision and our enthusiasm to create one-of-a-kind experiences and events that benefit both fans and the entire global sports landscape,” Chief Revenue Officer of AEG, Todd Goldstein, said. “The time is right, Las Vegas is the ideal destination and the College Basketball Crown is the perfect additive event to further elevate the most exciting postseason in sports.”
Vivid Seats will be the official ticket provider of the event. Here is what the commissioner of each participating conference said of the event:
Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman: “We are honored to participate in the inaugural College Basketball Crown, which will be an exciting and innovative addition to the college basketball calendar. We are confident that the formidable capabilities of FOX Sports, AEG, and their event partners will translate into a high-quality post-season opportunity for our coaches, players and schools.”
Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti: “The Big Ten Conference looks forward to competing in the inaugural College Basketball Crown. It is sure to be an exciting post-season opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches and fans across the country.”
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark: “The Big 12 Conference is thrilled to be a part of the College Basketball Crown. College basketball’s popularity is on the rise, and we look forward to being a part of another meaningful postseason moment for our student-athletes.”
More information on the event will be released at a later date.
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