Misplaced Pages

The Vegas Showdown formerly known as the Wooden Legacy is an annual early-season men's college basketball competition that began in 2013. It was formerly named in honor of basketball coach John Wooden, whose UCLA Bruins teams won 10 national championships over the 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975.

History and format

The Wooden Legacy was formed in 2013 by a merger between the Wooden Classic and DirecTV Classic. From 2013 through 2019, eight teams competed in the Wooden Legacy in a three-day, 12-game bracketed tournament, with the games televised on the ESPN Networks (ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3). From 2013 to 2016, the first two rounds were played at Titan Gym on the campus of Cal State Fullerton in Fullerton, California, and the final day of competition took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. From 2017 to 2019, all games were played at Titan Gym.

Beginning in 2020, plans called for the Wooden Legacy to have a two-day, four-team format, with all games played at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 tournament. The four-team, two-day tournament format instead debuted in 2021, with the semifinals and championship game televised by ESPN2 and the third-place game by ESPNU. The event was renamed to the Vegas Showdown in 2023.

Brackets

* – Denotes overtime period

2024

The 2024 edition of the Vegas Showdown will be a showcase format, played on Tuesday, November 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. As part of the Vegas Showdown, on the weekend following the doubleheader in Las Vegas, Seattle will play Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium and Furman will play Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse.

Campus games

2023

The tournament took place from November 23-24, 2023 at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas and was renamed Vegas Showdown.

2022

The 2022 tournament took place November 23 and 24, 2022.

2021

2020

Originally, Georgetown, Kansas, UCLA, and Virginia committed to play in the 2020 Wooden Legacy. In August 2020, the Pac-12 Conference announced the cancellation of all sports events for its member schools until January 1, 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening UCLA's participation; despite this, UCLA never withdrew from the Wooden Legacy. In the first round, Georgetown was expected to face Kansas and UCLA to play Virginia. In September 2020, ESPN announced plans to move the college basketball nonconference events it planned to run in November and December 2020, including the Wooden Legacy, to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, in an effort to keep players and staffs safer during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement prompted Georgetown and Virginia to withdraw from the tournament, and Seton Hall and Boise State replaced them. Ultimately, however, ESPN canceled all the 2020 tournaments, including the Wooden Legacy, in late October 2020.

2019

2018

Campus Site Games

2017

Campus Site Games

2016

2015

2014

2013

References

1. Payne, Terrence (June 4, 2013). "The Wooden Legacy an all new tournament to begin this year". NBCSports.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013.
2. John R. Wooden Classic Becomes The Wooden Legacy, UCLABruins.com, June 4, 2013
3. Payne, Terrence (June 4, 2013). "The Wooden Legacy an all new tournament to begin this year". NBCSports.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013.
4. "Wooden Legacy Makes Venue Change for the 2017 & 2018 Events". ESPNevents. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
5. ^ Anonymous, "Hoyas to Participate in Paycom Wooden Legacy in 2020," guhoyas.com, November 26, 2019 4:42:00 PM EST Retrieved March 21, 2020
6. ^ Anonymous, "ESPN cancels college basketball bubble plans in Orlando," The Athletic, October 26, 2020 Accessed March 7, 2021.
7. "Field Revealed for 2021 Paycom Wooden Legacy". Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
8. "Wooden Legacy: Late Night Basketball," hoyasaxa.com, July 15, 2021 Accessed 17 July 2021
9. Judd, Brandon (May 11, 2023). "Who is joining BYU basketball in the Vegas Showdown next year?". Deseret News. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
10. "ESPN Events Announces 2024 Vegas Showdown Matchups". espnevents.com. May 23, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
11. "Vegas Showdown Reveals Bracket". espnevents.com. May 5, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
12. "2022-23 Men's College Basketball Early Season Tournaments and Exempt Multi-Team Events (MTEs)". SB Nation. April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
13. "2021 Wooden Legacy Bracket". Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents.com. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
14. ^ Pierson, Tracy, "Report: UCLA to Face Seton Hall in Wooden Legacy," October 10, 2020 Accessed March 7, 2021
15. "PAC-12 Nixes Sports through Jan. 1 — Wooden Legacy Games Impacted," Casual Hoya, August 11, 2020 Accessed March 7, 2021
16. Borzello, Jeff, "Sources: ESPN moving college basketball events to Wide World of Sports in Orlando," espn.com, September 22, 2020 Accessed March 7, 2021
17. Bruce Pascoe. "Arizona Wildcats will return to Wooden Legacy event in 2019-20". tucson.com. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
18. Myron Medcalf and Byron Borzello (2019-07-11). "Your guide to 13 early-season college basketball tournaments". espn.com. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
19. "2019 Wooden Legacy Bracket". Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents.com. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
20. "2018 Wooden Legacy Bracket" (PDF). Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents.com. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
21. "2018 Wooden Legacy Bracket". Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents.com. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
22. "2017 Wooden Legacy Bracket" (PDF). Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
23. "2017 Wooden Legacy Bracket". Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents.com. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
24. "2016 Wooden Legacy Bracket" (PDF). Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents.com. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
25. "2016 Wooden Legacy Bracket". Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents.com. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
26. "Wooden Legacy matchups set; Arizona, MSU could meet in final". Retrieved 2015-07-21.
27. "2015 Wooden Legacy Bracket". Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents.com. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
28. "2014 Wooden Legacy Bracket". Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents.com. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
29. "2013 Wooden Legacy Bracket". Wooden Legacy. ESPNEvents.com. Retrieved 9 December 2021.

External links

• Official Site
• Vegas Showdown (ESPNEvents)

• College men's basketball competitions in the United States
• College basketball competitions
• Recurring sporting events established in 1994
• Thanksgiving (United States)
• 1994 establishments in California