Gotham Classic

The Gotham Classic is an annual college basketball event played at the beginning of the season, featuring NCAA Division 1 men's basketball teams. The event is produced by the Gazelle Group, Inc. and was first played in 2012. The event has been played in Madison Square Garden in New York City six out of its eleven years, and will be played at the Prudential Center in 2023. The sponsors for the event have changed year to year, with O'Reilly Auto Parts, Discount Tire, and Guaranteed Rate as the most recent sponsors.

St. Bonaventure won the 2022 Gotham Classic defeating the University of Notre Dame 63-51 on November 25, 2022 at UBS Arena. Rutgers and Mississippi State will compete in the 2023 Gotham Classic on December 23, 2023, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

History
The inaugural Gotham Classic took place in 2012, with Temple winning 83-79 over No. 3 Syracuse. The win marked the fifth straight season Temple had beaten a top 10 team while being unranked themselves. As for Syracuse, this loss snapped its 52-game regular season non-conference winning streak. The event featured five teams, with two making the showcase game. This format would last up until 2021.

The event was played in Madison Square Garden in New York City its first four years, up until 2016, when it began to move around. In 2016, the event was played in the Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. In 2017, the event was moved back to Madison Square Garden in New York City. In 2018, the event was played in the Purcell Pavilion in Notre Dame, Indiana. In 2019, the event was played in Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

COVID-19 caused cancelation of the 2020 Gotham Classic, but in 2021 Madison Square Garden opened its doors to the event which featured St. John’s taking on long-time former Big East foe Pitt. This was the first year of the four team format. In 2022, the event was played in UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York, and continued the four team format.

Yearly champions, runners-up, and MVPs
Results reference