Armed Forces Classic

The Armed Forces Classic is a college basketball event operated by ESPN that involves one or two games played in front of military members and their families. All events to date have been held outside the continental United States, but the 2018 and 2020 editions are slated to be held within the continental U.S. The first game was held on November 9, 2012, between Michigan State and UConn at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany. It was the first college basketball game played between two NCAA Division I teams in Europe.

The 2016 edition broke new ground for the event in several respects. It was the first to feature two games, and also the first not to be played at a military base, with games held at Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in Honolulu. Additionally, it was the first time tickets were sold to the general public, although all seats in the arena's lower bowl were reserved for military personnel and their families. The event was held in Honolulu to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor; surrounding events were held at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam.