ANNAPOLIS, Md. (HokieSports.com) - Virginia Tech at Navy and Richmond vs. Utah State are the pairings for the eighth edition of the Veterans Classic men’s basketball doubleheader, slated to be played Friday, Nov. 12 in Annapolis. CBS Sports Network will televise both games, as it has since the inception of the event. The Spiders and the Aggies will tip at 6 p.m., with the Hokies and the Mids to follow at 8:30 p.m.
CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour home of CBS Sports, is widely available through all major cable, satellite and telco distributors, as well as via OTT streaming service providers YouTube TV, fuboTV, DirecTV and Hulu. Additionally, a live CBS Sports Network stream is available through CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App by authenticating with select providers. For more information, including a full programming schedule, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.
The Veterans Classic, held annually around Veterans Day, honors our nation’s veterans and showcases the U.S. Naval Academy. Each of the visiting teams immerse themselves in the inner workings of the U.S. Naval Academy through guided tours held on the day before the games.
Tickets for the doubleheader are now on sale through the Navy Ticket Office at either 1-800-US4-NAVY, by clicking on the TICKETS tab in the masthead of NavySports.com and then selecting BASKETBALL. Reserved tickets for the doubleheader in the lower level of Alumni Hall are $40 and upper-level general admission seats can be purchased for $20.
Tech and Navy have split the six games played to date in the series, which dates back to the 1913-14 season. The teams last met Dec. 7, 2008, in Washington, D.C., as part of the BB&T Classic. The Hokies defeated the Mids that day, 79-70. Prior to that game, the previous two games in the series took place Feb. 15, 1964, in Blacksburg (VT, 79-54), and Jan. 23, 1960, in Annapolis (VT, 89-78).
A tie that binds the two programs is Don DeVoe, who served as the head coach at each school. DeVoe compiled an 88-45 record in five seasons (1972-76) at Virginia Tech and a 184-161 record in 12 seasons (1993-04) at Navy.
Navy tallied a 15-3 overall record in 2020-21 and earned the team’s first outright No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament with a 12-1 record against league foes. The Mids return four starters from last year’s team.
Tech posted a 15-7 overall record in 2020-21 and earned the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. The Hokies advanced to the first round of this year’s NCAA Tournament. It was the fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the program as Tech also appeared in the 2017 (22-11, first round), ‘18 (21-12, first round) and ‘19 (26-9, Sweet 16) tournaments.
The Hokies are the first ACC team in four years and the third overall to take part in the Veterans Classic.
“It is a special honor to have the opportunity to compete in the Veterans Classic and to do so at the United States Naval Academy,” said Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young. “Our program is also looking forward to the access we will gain by participating in this exceptional event. To be able to see the inner workings of our Naval Academy will enable our group to see first-hand what those who are preparing to defend our country go through daily – balancing academics, athletics and military training.”
The game between Richmond and Utah State will be the inaugural meeting between the teams.
Winners of past Veterans Classic games include VCU, Michigan State, North Carolina, Florida, Marquette, Ohio State, Alabama, Wichita State, Maryland and Auburn.
There have been 23 Veterans Classic players who have gone on to play in the NBA.
Past Veterans Classic Results
2014: No. 15 VCU 85, Tennessee 69; No. 18 Michigan State 64, Navy 59
2015: No. 1 North Carolina 91, Temple 67; Florida 59, Navy 41
2016: Marquette 95, Vanderbilt 71; Ohio State 78, Navy 68
2017: No. 25 Alabama 82, Memphis 70; Navy 71, Pittsburgh 62
2018: Wichita State 83, Providence 80; Maryland 78, Navy 57
2019: No. 24 / 23 Auburn 76, Davidson 66; Navy 62, East Carolina 57
2020: Navy 78, George Washington 71
Veterans Classic Visiting Team Conference Representation
American Athletic Conference (4): Temple (2015), Memphis (2017), Wichita State (2018), East Carolina (2019)
Atlantic Coast Conference (3): North Carolina (2015), Pittsburgh (2017), Virginia Tech (2021)
Atlantic 10 Conference (5): VCU (2014), Davidson (2019), George Washington (2020), Richmond (2021)
Big East Conference (2): Marquette (2016), Providence (2018)
Big Ten Conference (3): Michigan State (2014), Ohio State (2016), Maryland (2018)
Mountain West Conference (1): Utah State (2021)
Southeastern Conference (5): Tennessee (2014), Florida (2015), Vanderbilt (2016), Alabama (2017), Auburn (2019)
Future NBA Players to play in the Veterans Classic (23)
2014: Michigan State - Matt Costello, Branden Dawson, Bryn Forbes, Denzel Valentine; Tennessee - Josh Richardson, Tariq Owens; VCU - Treveon Graham.
2015: Florida - Chris Chiozza, Dorian Finney-Smith, Devin Robinson; North Carolina - Isaiah Hicks, Justin Jackson, Brice Johnson, Theo Pinson.
2016: Ohio State - Keita Bates-Diop, Jae’Sean Tate; Vanderbilt - Luke Kornet; Marquette - Markus Howard.
2017: Alabama - Donta Hall; Memphis - Jeremiah Martin.
2018: Maryland - Bruno Fernando, Jalen Smith.
2019: Auburn - Isaac Okoro.
