21 top collegiate teams to play 19 games across Thanksgiving week at Acrisure Arena

Several of the nation's top collegiate basketball teams will gather in the desert during the week of Thanksgiving for the Acrisure Series.

The Acrisure Series includes the Acrisure Classic, Acrisure Invitational and the inaugural Acrisure Holiday Invitational. It will be the nation’s largest combined multiple-team event at a single site.

“We are excited to once again host the Acrisure Classic / Acrisure Invitational at Acrisure Arena,” said John Page, senior vice president, of Acrisure Arena and Coachella Valley Firebirds. “This year’s tournament promises to be our biggest and best yet, with an expanded lineup of teams and exciting events planned for fans. We can’t wait to welcome basketball fans nationwide to Greater Palm Springs for this Thanksgiving tradition.”

21 men’s and women’s college basketball teams will gather in Greater Palm Springs for the second annual Acrisure Series including top programs like USC, ASU, TCU, and New Mexico. Teams will compete from Tuesday, November 24 to Friday, November 29, 2024.

“We are excited to have creatively scheduled four full days of high-quality men’s and women’s college basketball at Acrisure Arena,” said co-Tournament Director Dan Shell. “We are very grateful to our partners at Acrisure and Visit Greater Palm Springs who made this event possible, and for TNT Sports for jumping into this with us for the years to come to take this event to the next level. We think the Acrisure series of college basketball events will be among the best holiday events in the country.” 

The series of separate MTEs (Multi-Team Events) will be held at Acrisure Arena and will feature ten teams that played in the 2024 NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments.

Seven former Pac 12 schools will be participating either on the men’s or women’s side, with both USC’s teams in the respective tournaments. 

The Acrisure Series will showcase some of the best talent in the country, including the University of Southern California’s Juju Watkins on the women’s side along with several other projected men’s and women’s first-round draft picks.  

2024 NCAA tournament teams include:

Men’s Teams – Texas Christian University, Washington State University, University of New Mexico, Colorado State University, St. Mary’s College, and Grand Canyon University

Women’s Team’s – University of Arizona, Vanderbilt University, Michigan State University, and University of Southern California

The Acrisure Series “Pods” include:

• Acrisure Holiday Invitational (Men’s) includes Washington State University, California Baptist University, Fresno State University, and Southern Methodist University
• Acrisure Holiday Classic (Men’s) includes Grand Canyon University and Stanford University
• Acrisure Classic (Women’s) includes University of Arizona, Michigan State University, University of California, and Vanderbilt University
• Acrisure Classic (Men’s) includes University of Southern California, University of New Mexico, Arizona State University, and St. Mary’s College
• Acrisure Invitational (Men’s) – Texas Christian University, Colorado State University, Santa Clara University, and Washington State University

Single Games (Women’s) – University of Southern California and Seton Hall University

OVERALL SCHEDULE (tentative and subject to change for television):

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26^th (PST)

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1. Cal vs Michigan State (W) – 10:30 AM 
2. Vanderbilt vs Arizona (W) – 1:00 PM
3. SMU vs Cal Baptist (M) 3:30 PM
4. Fresno State vs Washington State (M) 6:00 PM
5. Grand Canyon vs Stanford (M) 8:30 PM  

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27^th (PST)

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1. Acrisure Classic 3^rd place game – 10:30 am 
2. Acrisure Classic Championship (W) – 1:00 pm
3. USC vs Seton Hall (W) 3:30 pm - Acrisure Holiday Invitational (W)
4. Acrisure Holiday Invitational 3^rd place game (M)– 6:00 pm
5. Acrisure Holiday Invitational Championship game (M) – 8:30 pm

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28^th (PST)

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1. TCU vs Santa Clara (M) – 1:00 pm - Acrisure Invitational
2. Washington vs Colorado State (M) 3:30 pm - Acrisure Invitational
3. USC vs Saint Mary’s (M) 6:00 pm - Acrisure Classic
4. New Mexico vs Arizona State (M) 8:30 pm - Acrisure Classic

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29^th (PST)

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1. Acrisure Invitational 3^rd place (M) – 10:30 am
2. Acrisure Invitational Championship (M)  – 1:00 pm
3. USC (W) vs Saint Louis University (W) – 3:30 pm - Acrisure Holiday Invitational (W)
4. 3^rd place Acrisure Classic (M) – 6:00 pm
5. Championship Acrisure Classic (M) – 8:30 pm

For more information about the 2024 Acrisure Series including the Acrisure Classic, Acrisure Invitational and Acrisure Holiday Invitational, visit AcrisureArena.com/Series or follow Acrisure Arena on social media for updates.

“We’re gearing up for the second annual Acrisure college tournament series with excitement and anticipation,” said Scott White, President & CEO at Visit Greater Palm Springs. “Spectators will experience our oasis of picturesque mountains, endless sunshine, palm-tree filled vistas and world-class accommodations. Greater Palm Springs is a quintessential destination for visitors interested in a variety of unforgettable experiences in an iconic setting, and we are thrilled to be the host destination."

TICKETS

Tickets for the Acrisure Series go onsale Friday, June 7, at 10:00 a.m. PST (1:00 p.m. EST)  and will be available at the Acrisure Arena box office, online at acrisurearena.com/series and Ticketmaster.com, the official ticketing provider of Acrisure Arena. One ticket is admission for the entire day and can be used to watch all games played in Acrisure Arena on that day. 

Groups of 10 or more save when booking through the Acrisure Arena Group Sales team. Groups receive reduced ticket prices and processing fees, opportunity to reserve seats and pay later, and group seating options. Learn more at https://acrisurearena.com/group-tickets/.