The 2K Classic is an annual college basketball tournament played in November at the beginning of the season and televised by ESPN. Originally known as the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the tournament was first played in 1995 as a collaboration between the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society, and produced by the Gazelle Group, Inc., in an effort to raise funds for cancer research. In 2012, the tournament beneficiary became the Wounded Warrior Project, resulting in the tournament's new name. A new annual college basketball tournament benefiting cancer research, also called the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic and hosted by the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, was held from 2012 to 2014.
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In the 2K Classic's current format, eight teams from eight separate conferences are invited to the tournament. First- and second-round games are held at regional sites selected before the tournament. The semifinals and finals are held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Michigan is the reigning 2K Classic champion, defeating SMU 76–54 in the championship game on November 18, 2016.
History
The first Classic was held in December 1995 at the Atlantic City Convention Center and consisted of only four teams playing two separate games with no championship game. In 1997, the tournament expanded to feature a championship game between the two winners and a consolation game between the losers. The venue was moved to Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey and was moved again in 1998 to its current location at Madison Square Garden. In 2002, the championship game was dropped and four more teams were added to bring the total to eight teams, playing only one game each. In 2004, the tournament expanded to its present format, featuring 12 teams in four different regions. The host teams of the two first round games in each region meet in New York in a semifinal round, with the winners of the semi-final games meeting for the championship and the two losers meeting in the consolation game.