May 23, 2018
NOTRE DAME, Indiana (May 22, 2018) — ESPN has officially announced the field for the 2018 Jimmy V Men’s Basketball Classic doubleheader to be held at Madison Square Garden on December 4, 2018. Notre Dame will face Oklahoma at 7 p.m. ET, followed by West Virginia and Florida at 9 p.m.
“We are honored to be a part of this year’s Jimmy V Classic and help support the V Foundation,” Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey said.
“It is one of the signature events of the college basketball season and to get back to The Garden and face a Power Five opponent on national television will be a great opportunity for our group.”
The meeting will mark the first between Notre Dame and Oklahoma in men’s basketball. The Irish finished with a 21-15 in 2017-18, advancing to the second round of the National Invitational Tournament. Oklahoma completed last season with an 18-14 record and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The match up with Oklahoma will be a special one for third-year Irish assistant coach Ryan Humphrey. The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native played for the Sooners from 1997-99 before transferring to Notre Dame. Humphrey was a stand out on Mike Brey’s first two Notre Dame teams in 2000-01 and 2001-02, including serving as team captain his senior season, earning the team’s Monogram Club Most Valuable Player Award and second-team All-America honors from The Basketball News.
Notre Dame will be playing in the Jimmy V Classic for the second time in school history. The Irish defeated Kansas State 68-59 on December 4, 2007.
The Irish return to Madison Square Garden for the first time since December 21, 2013, when they faced Ohio State in the Gotham Classic. Notre Dame also took part in the first college basketball doubleheader ever played at Madison Square Garden (at its original location at on 8th avenue between 49th and 50th streets) when the Irish lost to NYU 25-18 on December 29, 1934. This year’s Jimmy V Classic will take place just under 84 years following that first doubleheader (which also featured St. John’s and Westminster).
Notre Dame has appeared in Madison Square Garden for 110 games in its 111 full seasons of college basketball compiling a 59-52 record at MSG. The Irish have played 84 games at the current site of Madison Square Garden (opened in February of 1968) and are 42-42 in those contests.
The early-season event will be part of the 12th annual V Week for Cancer Research – the weeklong initiative across multiple ESPN platforms and programs featuring special content to help raise funds for cancer research. ESPN’s 2017 V Week for Cancer Research raised a record-setting $4.5 million for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Over the past 11 years, V Week has raised $22.2 million for cancer research.
Tickets for the Jimmy V Men’s Classic will be available for purchase at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, Ticketmaster charge by phone at (866) 858-0008 and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com at a later date to be announced.
About the V Foundation for Cancer Research
The V Foundation for Cancer Research is dedicated to declaring victory over cancer. It was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, the Foundation has funded more than $200 million in cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of all direct cash donations to cancer research and related programs. Due to generous donors, the Foundation has an endowment that covers administrative expenses. The Foundation awards peer-reviewed grants through a competitive awards process vetted by a Scientific Advisory Committee. For more information on the V Foundation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.