Turkey, gravy and basketball!
A big time college basketball tournament is coming to San Diego on Thanksgiving weekend.
The Rady Children's Invitational will be played November 23rd and 24th at Lions Tree Arena on the campus of U.C. San Diego.
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The inaugural tournament will feature USC, Iowa, Oklahoma and Seton Hall.
The goal is to bring 4 high profile, prominent programs in college basketball to San Diego each year to play in this tournament. That seems to be working with this years 4 squads and Purdue already committed to play in the 2024 Rady Children's Invitational. The Boilermakers are currently ranked 5th in the nation and spent weeks at #1 in the nation this season.
Sports San Diego, the same group that puts on the Holiday Bowl, is putting on the Rady Children's Invitational. Besides top notch college basketball, one objective of the tournament is to attract tourism to the San Diego region.
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“Sports events have been a pillar of the tourism industry in San Diego,” said Mark Neville, CEO of Sports San Diego. “Together with Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, UC San Diego Athletics, and Global Sports & Events - we endeavor to produce the very best and most special early season college basketball tournament in the country. San Diego is the perfect place to do this.”
This year's tournament will feature teams from the Big East, Pac 12, Big 10 and Big 12 conferences, essentially covering a large portion of different American fan bases.
Ticket prices range from $35 to $125 per session. Full tournament tickets will be available. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 31. Fans wanting to receive the first opportunity to purchase tickets are encouraged to visit www.RadyChildrensInvitational.com. In addition, $5 per ticket sold will be donated to Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.
