History
The BB&T Classic Basketball Tournament is a Washington, DC-based basketball tournament that has been held annually since 1995, when it was known as the Franklin National Bank Classic. It is staged at the Verizon Center, on or around the first weekend in December. Organized in large part by author and journalist John Feinstein, the tournament raises funds for the Children's Charities Foundation, a fund-raising organization that financially supports Washington-area charities.
The original format of the event lasted two days and featured four teams, highlighted by local mainstays Maryland and George Washington, accompanied by two nationally-recognized programs, such as Kansas and Stanford. The first day would consist of a doubleheader pitting each of the local teams against each of the national teams. The following afternoon, a championship game would be held between the two opening round winners. A consolation game between the two teams who lost in the opening round was introduced in 1995.
In 2005, the tournament format was altered due to an inability to attract nationally-renowned programs, partially because teams would have two less home games. The event ballooned into a single-evening weeknight event with a tripleheader, as American, Howard, George Mason, and Navy all participated. The 2006 version had another tripleheader, Maryland vs. Notre Dame, George Washington vs. Virginia Tech & George Mason vs. Bucknell.
On Dec. 7, 2008, The BBandT Classic will showcase the FOUR local teams in another outstanding doubleheader. In the first game at 5:00 PM on Sunday, Virginia Tech will take on Navy and in the second game, George Washington will meet University of Maryland
In 2005, the first tripleheader was introduced at Verizon Center, thus The B B and T Classic became a true Classic as opposed to a Tournament. Results from the Classics in years 2005 and 2006 are listed under Games.
American (AMER), Howard (HOW) , Navy (NAVY), and George Mason (GMU) also participated in the 2005 BB&T Classic Tournament.
- Bucknell (BUCK), Notre Dame (ND), George Mason (GMU), and Virginia Tech (VT) participated in the 2006 tournament and no champion was crowned.
| Date | Game One | Game Two | Game Three | Date | Consolation | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/2/1995 | FLA 75, GW 66 | UMASS 50, MD 47 | N/A | 12/3/1995 | MD 98, GW 81 | UMASS 80, FLA 58 |
| 12/8/1996 | GW 57, MISS ST. 36 | MD 80, CAL 64 | N/A | 12/9/1996 | CAL 78, MISS ST. 45 | MD 74, GW 68 |
| 12/7/1997 | MD 86, KAN 83 | GW 66, PENN 62 | N/A | 12/8/1997 | KAN 89, PENN 71 | GW 70, MD 66 |
| 12/6/1998 | DEP 87, GW 79 | MD 62, STAN 60 | N/A | 12/7/1998 | STAN 70, GW 56 | MD 92, DEP 75 |
| 12/4/1999 | GW 72, SHU 63 | MD 69, ILL 67 | N/A | 12/5/1999 | ILL 72, SHU 61 | GW 74, MD 69 |
| 12/2/2000 | MD 82, MICH 51 | GW 85, STJ 75 | N/A | 12/3/2000 | STJ 97, MICH 83 | MD 71, GW 63 |
| 12/2/2001 | UCONN 84, GW 76 | MD 61, PRIN 53 | N/A | 12/3/2001 | GW 60, PRIN 57 | MD 77, UCONN 65 |
| 12/7/2002 | TEX 100, GW 92 | ND 79, MD 67 | N/A | 12/8/2002 | MD 93, GW 82 | ND 98, TEX 92 |
| 12/6/2003 | GW 70, WVU 64 | GONZ 82, MD 68 | N/A | 12/7/2003 | WVU 78, MD 77 (OT) | GONZ 96, GW 91 |
| 12/4/2004 | GW 96, MICH ST. 83 | MD 78, GMU 54 | N/A | 12/5/2004 | MICH ST. 66, GMU 60 | GW 101, MD 92 |
| 12/5/2005 | NAVY 82, HOW 73 | GMU 75, AMER 35 | GW 78, MD 70 | |||
| 12/3/2006 | BUCK 60, GMU 57 | GW 63, VATECH 62 | ND 81. MD 74 | |||
| 12/2/2007 | AUBURN 74, GW 70 | EAST CAROLINA 68, GMU 65 | VCU 85, MD 76 | |||
| 12/7/2008 | VIRGINIA TECH 79 NAVY 70 | MARYLAND 76, GW 53 | N/A |