March 11, 2024

PRINCETON, N.J. – Villanova and Maryland will square off in the Showcase Game of the 2024 Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project on November 24, 2024 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

In addition to the Showcase Game at Prudential Center, Villanova and Maryland will each host a game on campus during the event. The full schedule will be announced at a later date.

Tickets to the Showcase Game will be available for purchase starting tomorrow, Tuesday March 12^th at noon. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.

This will be Villanova’s 4^th appearance in the Empire Classic and they have a 5-2 all-time record in the event, winning the championship in 2020.  Kyle Neptune has the Wildcats on track to make their 10^th NCAA Tournament in the past 11 years.

This will be Maryland’s 4^th appearance in the Empire Classic and they have a 7-3 all-time record in the event, winning the championship in 2006.  Kevin Willard will add a top recruiting class to a young nucleus returning from this year’s team.

In the 2023 Empire Classic, the defending national champion UConn Huskies beat Texas and Indiana to win the tournament title.  The semifinals boasted the highest neutral site attendance of the college basketball regular season with 19,147 fans on hand.

About the Gazelle Group

The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally recognized college sports events, such as the Empire Classic, Legends Classic, Gotham Classic, Sunshine Slam, College Basketball Invitational, Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, Holiday Hoopfest, Jersey Jam as well as on-campus events at institutions across the country. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com and follow us on Twitter @Gazelle_Events.

About Prudential Center

Prudential Center is the world-class sports and entertainment venue located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Opened in October 2007 and recently celebrating its 15^th year as a marquee destination, the state-of-the-art arena is the home of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) three-time Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils, Seton Hall University’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball program, and more than 210 concerts, family shows and special events each year. Ranked in the Top 5 worldwide by Pollstar, Billboard and Venues Today, Prudential Center is recognized as one of the premier venues in the United States, and hosts over 2 million guests annually. For more information about Prudential Center, visit https://www.prucenter.com/ and follow the arena on Facebook, X and Instagram @PruCenter. Prudential Center is a HBSE property.