The College Basketball Experience Classic (formerly known as the Guardians Classic) is an annual season-opening college basketball tournament founded in 2001. The tournament is currently sponsored by Progressive (previously the event was sponsored by O'Reilly Auto Parts) and is held in mid-November. Sixteen invited teams, representing 16 different athletic conferences, are divided into groups of four (the 2008 tournament featured only 14 teams). The initial two rounds are played at regional sites on back to back days and are hosted by a participating team. In general, regional hosts are expected to advance to the finals, and generally do so. Each regional site winner then moves on to the championship round in Kansas City, Missouri, with the games played at Sprint Center. The championship round takes place one week after the initial round. In 2006, the event was renamed the College Basketball Experience Classic (CBE) after the college basketball fan interactive facility. Before the 2007 tournament, the final rounds were held at Municipal Auditorium, except for one year at Kemper Arena in 2001. The 2011 Regional Hosts are:Cal, Georgia, Missouri, and Notre Dame.[1]
The event is organized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and produced by the Gazelle Group.
Contents |
| Year | Champion | Points | Runner-up | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Missouri | 78 | Iowa | 77 |
| 2002 | Creighton | 80 | Notre Dame | 75 |
| 2003 | South Carolina | 67 | Richmond | 61 |
| 2004 | Creighton | 65 | Ohio State | 63* |
| 2005 | Texas | 68 | Iowa | 59 |
| 2006 | Marquette | 73 | Duke | 62 |
| 2007 | UCLA | 68 | Michigan State | 63 |
| 2008 | Syracuse | 89 | Kansas | 81* |
| 2009 | Texas | 78 | Pittsburgh | 62 |
| 2010 | Duke | 82 | Kansas State | 68 |
| 2011 | Missouri | 92 | California | 53 |
*Overtime
| Year | Third Place | Points | Fourth Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Alabama | 81 | Memphis | 70 |
| 2002 | Furman | 70 | IUPUI | 62 |
| 2003 | Missouri State | 72 | San Francisco | 52 |
| 2004 | Houston | 57 | Missouri | 55 |
| 2005 | Kentucky | 80 | West Virginia | 66 |
| 2006 | Air Force | 67 | Texas Tech | 53 |
| 2007 | Missouri | 84 | Maryland | 70 |
| 2008 | Florida | 86 | Washington | 84 |
| 2009 | Wichita State | 74 | Iowa | 57 |
| 2010 | Gonzaga | 66 | Marquette | 63 |
| 2011 | Georgia | 61 | Notre Dame | 57 |