LOUISVILLE, Ky. — "The Bubble" worked for the NBA and the Louisville Cardinals are hoping something similar works for them and eight other college basketball teams.

What You Need To Know

  • Nine NCAA teams will play basketball in Louisville

  • The Wade Houston Tipoff Classic begins Nov. 25

  • The teams will play 18 games over 10 days

  • Game times and TV coverage are still being decided

 

The University of Louisville, KFC Yum! Center, and the Galt House Hotel will host the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic Nov. 25 through Dec. 4, 2020. Nine NCAA teams will play 18 games over 10 days.

The participating teams are:

  • Duquesne (21-9 Atlantic 10 Conference)
  • UNC Greensboro (23-9 Southern Conference)
  • Little Rock (21-10 Sun Belt Conference)
  • Louisville (24-7 ACC)
  • Prairie View A&M (19-13 SWAC)
  • Seton Hall (21-9 BIG EAST)
  • Southern Illinois (16-16 Missouri Valley Conference)
  • Western Kentucky (20-10 Conference USA)
  • Winthrop (24-10 Big South)

The way this tournament will work five teams will play five games each. Those teams are Little Rock, Louisville, UNC Greensboro, Prairie View A&M, and Winthrop. Three other teams, Duquesne, Southern Illinois, and Western Kentucky, will play three games, and Seton Hall will play two games during the first week of the college basketball season.

Hoops fans will love it because there will be three days with triple-headers, three days with double-headers, and three days with single games. The only day there will not be any games will be Thanksgiving. 

The Wade Houston Tipoff Classic is named for one of the first three African American basketball players to sign with UofL. The group included Houston, Sam Smith, and Eddie Whitehead. According to UofL, it was the first time a predominantly white Kentucky college had any African Americans on its roster at the time.  

Houston was the first of the three to earn a scholarship to play at UofL. He lettered from 1963-66 and participated in the postseason twice. Houston earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at UofL and would go on to coach basketball at Male High School. He took his team to the state tournament twice and won the 1974-75 Kentucky State championship.

In 1975, UofL Head Coach Denny Crum hired Houston as an assistant coach and he helped lead the Cards to a pair of Final Four appearances in 1980 and 1986. In 1989, Tennessee hired Houston as its head coach making him the first African American coach in the Southeastern Conference. After leaving coaching, Houston returned to Louisville where he became and remains a successful businessman. 

Louisville opens the 2020-21 season on Nov. 25 against Southern Illinois. The Cards will play their next four games on Nov. 27 against Seton Hall; Nov. 29 against Prairie View A&M; Dec. 1 against Western Kentucky and Dec. 4 against UNC Greensboro dates. More of the Cardinals' schedule and times will be announced later. 

Teams participating in the Houston Classic will have a pair of practice courts available to them while in the bubble. The court at the KFC Yum! Center and a full-court that will be built in the Grand Ballroom of the Galt House Hotel. Teams will also be able to utilize the court at the Planet Fitness Kueber Center, home of UofL's practice facility. A weight room is also being temporarily set up in the Galt House for teams to use. 

There will be two practice courts available for teams within the bubble, including the practice court in the KFC Yum! Center and a full-court that will be installed during the event in the Grand Ballroom of the Galt House Hotel. Teams may also use the court in the controlled Planet Fitness Kueber Center, UofL’s campus practice facility, during the event. A weight room will also be temporarily set up in the Galt House for the teams.

The Galt House and the KFC Yum! Center are connected by a walkway so teams will not have to leave the dual facilities except when they take a bus to the Kueber Center. All of the teams will stay on the East side of the Galt House. COVID-19 testing protocols will be in place and health guidance set by the ACC will be followed. Game times and television coverage for the games are still being determined.