Inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic Set to Air on CBS Sports Network
EDISON, NJ – The inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic airs on CBS Sports Network on Friday, December 1 and Saturday, December 2. The four-team, two-day event features College of the Holy Cross, La Salle University, Manhattan College and Towson University.
The CBS Sports Network can be found on DirecTV 221 (HD/SD), Dish Network 158 (HD/SD), Verizon FiOS 594 HD/94 SD and is available on most cable providers.
The Sport Changes Life Foundation (SCLF) in partnership with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (BHOF) and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) present the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic. For the first time ever, college basketball will be played outside of the United States in Europe in Belfast’s SSE Arena.
Manhattan and Holy Cross begin this historic event on December 1 at 11:30 a.m., followed by La Salle and Towson tipping-off at 2:00 p.m. The first-ever Belfast Classic Champion will be crowned on December 2 at noon. The consolation game precedes the championship game at 9:30 a.m. Please note all games are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST)
“It is great that the games from the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic will be shown on the CBS Sports Network. Many of our passionate fans will be heading to Belfast for the tournament, but now those who cannot make it will be able to watch us from home,” notes Holy Cross head coach Bill Carmody.
“This is a great opportunity to further represent Manhattan College on an international stage, combining that with the CBS Sports Network is only getting to make this event that much better,” said Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello.
“It’s an honor to be in the first NCAA basketball tournament in Ireland. It will be a great trip for our players and fans. It’s especially nice to take Cian Sullivan back home where his family and friends can see him. Competitively, we will have challenging neutral-court games against good teams. The Hall of Fame Belfast Classic is a tremendous addition to our non-conference schedule,” added La Salle head coach Dr. John Giannini.
“It’s awesome. We’re honored and excited for the Basketball Hall Of Fame Belfast Classic. This tournament has four good clubs and it’s great to be on national television,” notes Towson head coach Pat Skerry.
For tickets and travel information, visit
belfastbasketballclassic.com
Partners for this event include: The Rory Foundation, Aer Lingus, Tourism Northern Ireland, Tourism Ireland, Belfast City Council and travel package partner Chaka Travel. This event will be powered by Darius, Velocity Worldwide’s customer engagement technology to create an experience like no other for the fans attending the unique event.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.