Eli Boettger | @boettger_eli | 09/15/20
“I’m going to Disney World!”
That’s the headline across the college basketball world on Tuesday as CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported that eight multi-team events (MTEs) will be moved to the Disney campus in Orlando.
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Among the eight MTEs slated to move to Orlando: Champions Classic, Jimmy V Classic, Preseason NIT, Orlando Invitational, Myrtle Beach Invitational, Charleston Classic, Wooden Legacy, and Diamond Head Classic.
The news comes amid several schedule and location changes to the early part of the season, particularly with the MTEs. Reports surfaced Monday that the Battle 4 Atlantis will be played in Sioux Falls, S. D., and that the Maui Invitational will likely move to either Indianapolis, Ind., or Asheville, N.C.
In addition to these changes, CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander also reports that ESPN plans to make the Jimmy V Classic its “big finale event” of the Orlando games, which includes Baylor, Rutgers, Gonzaga and Tennessee. It is worth noting that Gonzaga agreed to play Baylor last month in a late scheduling move. With both teams now set to participate in Orlando, it is possible that their matchup could be squeezed in before both teams return home.
No fans are expected to be allowed to attend these events.
On Wednesday the NCAA Division-I Council is set to meet to discuss college basketball’s start date for the upcoming season, which is expected to be Nov. 21. The current start date is Nov. 10.
Here are the teams that are currently involved in location changes to their MTEs:
Orlando
Champions Classic: Kentucky/Kansas, Duke/Michigan State
Jimmy V Classic: Baylor/Rutgers, Gonzaga/Tennessee
Preseason NIT: Arizona, Cincinnati, Texas Tech St. John’s (bracket TBD)
Orlando Invitational: Michigan State, Gonzaga, Auburn, Xavier, Saint Louis, Boise State, Belmont, Siena (bracket TBD)
Myrtle Beach Invitational: Pitt, Nebraska, Missouri, Dayton, Loyola-Chicago, Utah State, Furman, Charlotte (bracket TBD)
Charleston Classic: Florida State, Seton Hall, Oklahoma State, Houston, Penn State, Tennessee, VCU, Charleston (bracket TBD)
Wooden Legacy: Kansas, Virginia, UCLA, Georgetown (bracket TBD)
Diamond Head Classic: Arizona State, Oklahoma, San Diego State, Saint Mary’s, Hawaii, Temple, Seattle, North Texas (bracket TBD)
Asheville, N.C. or Indianapolis, Ind.
Maui Invitational: North Carolina, Texas, Indiana, Alabama, Stanford, Providence, UNLV, Davidson
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Battle 4 Atlantis: Duke, West Virginia, Memphis, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Utah, Creighton, Wichita State
Eli Boettger is a college basketball writer and founder of HeatCheckCBB.com. He has previously worked for Sporting News, DAZN and USA TODAY SMG.
Boettger’s content has been featured by Bleacher Report, NBC Sports, FiveThirtyEight, Yahoo Sports, Athletic Director University, Washington Post, Illinois Law Review and Notre Dame Law Review, among other publications. Boettger is also a current USBWA member and Rockin’ 25 voter.