A new multi-year college basketball event is coming to Nationwide Arena this fall, and Columbus will host its inaugural edition.
ESPN Events, in partnership with the Atlantic 10 and American conferences, announced the A10/American Showcase on ESPN this week. The new event will bring teams from the two conferences together for neutral-site games, with the first showcase taking place Sunday, Nov. 29 at Nationwide Arena.
Four teams will make up the inaugural event: Dayton will face Memphis, while Saint Louis will take on South Florida.
For Dayton fans, the Columbus location is a particularly convenient addition.
The Flyers’ matchup against Memphis will be their first regular-season game at Nationwide Arena, located about 72 miles from the university’s campus.
Dayton has finished fourth or better in the Atlantic 10 in seven of the past eight seasons, while Saint Louis enters the event as the conference’s reigning regular-season champion. Memphis has won two American Conference Tournament championships in the past four seasons, and South Florida is coming off a season in which it won both the American’s regular-season and tournament championships.
The showcase is planned as a multi-year event, with participating schools and host cities rotating in future years. Additional teams and host locations will be announced as the event continues.
“We are excited to build on those partnerships to create this signature event that will further spotlight their brands on a national stage while providing critical opportunities for teams to strengthen their resumes,” said Jeff Wilson, director of ESPN Events, in a statement. “We look forward to providing exceptional experiences for the participating teams and fans.”
Game times and which ESPN platforms will carry the games have not yet been announced.
Tickets are expected to go on sale this fall. Fans can sign up for the event presale at A10AmericanShowcase.com for early access to tickets.
