Gavitt Games
Full information on the 2015-16 Gavitt Games.
"The games are what makes this special."
-Dave Gavitt, Founder of the BIG EAST Conference
THE SERIES
The Gavitt Tipoff Games is an annual series between the BIG EAST and Big Ten Conferences and named in honor of Dave Gavitt, founder of the BIG EAST and basketball visionary. The series starts this year and will span eight seasons with games being played at home sites. The Gavitt Tipoff Games will be played on four consecutive days in the first full week of the basketball season.
Dave Gavitt believed that the college basketball season needed a high profile event to start the year. He had a profound and lasting influence on the sport of basketball on the collegiate, professional and Olympic levels. Gavitt was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
First and foremost, Dave Gavitt was a coach and he always believed in the role of a coach as a teacher and mentor for young people. He began his coaching career at Dartmouth, his alma mater, and then led Providence to eight straight postseason bids in 10 years and guided the Friars to the 1973 Final Four. Gavitt was chosen to coach the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, which did not have the opportunity to participate because of a U.S. boycott of the Games.
THE GAMES
| Away |
Home |
DePaul
62 |
Penn State
?68 |
Date
Tuesday, November 17 (5:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. CT)
Venue
Bryce Jordan Center (15,261)
Broadcast Info
ESPNU
Series History
DePaul leads the all-time series 6-0, but the teams have not met since the 1984-85 season. In the last meeting, the Blue Demons, ranked No. 2 nationally in the AP poll, won 78-61 at Penn State on Dec. 12, 1984.
|
Nebraska
?63 |
Villanova
?87 |
Date
Tuesday, November 17 (8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT)
Venue
The Pavilion (6,500)
Broadcast Info
FOX Sports 1
Series History
The two teams have met only twice with Villanova taking both contests. The last meeting was a 75-60 Villanova victory in the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Nov. 19, 1998.
|
Georgetown
?71 |
Maryland
?75 |
Date
Tuesday, November 17 (9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT)
Venue
XFINITY Center (17,950)
Broadcast Info
ESPN2
Series History
The last meeting between the two teams came in the 2008-09 season at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla., with the Hoyas taking a 75-48 decision. The last previous meeting was the Sweet 16 round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament when the Terrapins prevailed 76-66 in a game played in Anaheim, Calif. Maryland leads the series 36-27. The two teams met every year between 1947 and 1976.
|
Illinois |
Providence |
Date
Wednesday, November 18 (7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT)
Venue
Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,410)
Broadcast Info
FOX Sports 1
Series History
The two teams have met twice with both games played at Madison Square Garden. Providence won 81-79 on Dec. 9, 2003 in the Jimmy V Classic and 70-51 on Dec. 28, 1965 in the ECAC Holiday Festival.
|
Rutgers |
St. John's |
Date
Thursday, November 19 (7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT)
Venue
Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
Broadcast Info
FOX Sports 1
Series History
Both schools were members of the BIG EAST from 1995-96 through 2012-13. St. John’s leads 26-14 in the all-time series. In BIG EAST play, St. John’s held a 15-7 edge. In the last meeting, the Red Storm won 72-60 at Rutgers on Jan. 23, 2013.
|
Creighton |
Indiana |
Date
Thursday, November 19 (7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT)
Venue
Assembly Hall (17,472)
Broadcast Info
BTN
Series History
Creighton holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series, though the Hoosiers won the last meeting, a 71-53 victory in the Hoosier Classic on Dec. 20, 1974. The first meeting was on Feb. 4, 1920.
|
Iowa |
Marquette |
Date
Thursday, November 19 (9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT)
Venue
BMO Harris Bradley Center (18,600)
Broadcast Info
FOX Sports 1
Series History
Iowa leads the series 10-7, though the teams have not met since Dec. 8, 1982 when the Hawkeyes won 87-66 at the Iowa Field House. The first game of the series was Jan. 5, 1924.
|
Xavier |
Michigan |
Date
Friday, November 20 (9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT)
Venue
Crisler Arena (12,707)
Broadcast Info
BTN
Series History
Michigan has won all three meetings against Xavier. The last matchup came in the first round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament when the Wolverines took a 92-87 decision in The Omni in Atlanta, Ga., on their way to the national championship.
|
#OneThing Campaign
The #OneThing campaign embraces the commitment to coaching embodied by the life and career of the BIG EAST Conference's founder, Dave Gavitt. The BIG EAST, the Big Ten and their broadcast partners have combined to honor the impact that coach's make on the lives of student-athletes by broadcasting and sharing a series of #OneThing vignettes and messages. Each conference coach and commissioner discussed the #OneThing they've learned from a former coach during their careers.