Homepage – Belfast Basketball Classic Series 2020

Belfast Basketball Classic Hall of Fame 2018

NCAA Division I College basketball came back to Belfast, Northern Ireland for 2018. The Sport Changes Life Foundation (SCLF) in partnership with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (BHOF) and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has hosted its second ‘Belfast Classic’ in The SSE Arena, Belfast on November 29th, 30th and 1 December 2018.

The tournament was broadcast live across America.

The 2018 event featured an expanded field to eight schools. The schools competed in two four-team brackets, with University campus round games in America leading into two tournament brackets in Belfast aptly named ‘Samson’ and ‘Goliath’ after the iconic Harland and Wolfe cranes in the Titanic quarter shipyard of Belfast.

The field for the 2018 event was as follows: University at Albany (America East Conference), University at Buffalo (Mid-American Conference), Dartmouth College (Ivy League), LIU Brooklyn (Northeast Conference), Marist College (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Horizon League), University of San Francisco (West Coast Conference) and Stephen F. Austin State University (Southland Conference).

Click the link below to watch the CBS documentary “Northern Ireland – Made for Sport”

WATCH NORTHERN IRELAND - MADE FOR SPORT

GREAT DANES

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBANY

The Great Danes represent the America East Conference, of which they are five-time champions, including 3 consecutive titles from 2013-2015. The Great Danes are coached by Will Brown, who is entering his 18th season at the University of Albany.

BIG GREEN

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

The Big Green are coached by David McLaughlin, play out of Hanover, New Hampshire, and come from the prestigious Ivy League, which is America’s top academic conference. They are two-time NCAA Tournament Final Four participants.

BUFFALO BULLS

UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO

The Buffalo Bulls play out of the Mid-American Conference, of which they were champions 3 out of the past 4 years. Last year, the Bulls from the University at Buffalo defeated superpower Arizona to reach the NCAA tournament Round of 32.

LUMBERJACKS

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

The Lumberjacks are located in Nacogdoches, in East Texas. Champions of the Southland Conference 4 out of the past 5 years, the ‘Jacks have defeated powerhouses VCU and West Virginia in recent NCAA Tournaments.

PANTHERS

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE

The Panthers will be representing the Horizon League, and are coached by Pat Baldwin. The Panthers have reached the NCAA Tournament four times, going as far as the Sweet 16 in 2005.

SAN FRANCISCO DONS

UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

The San Francisco (California) Dons compete in the West Coast Conference. Basketball Hall of Famer and legend Bill Russell is a San Francisco alum, where he won 2 championships.

BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY-BROOKLYN

The Brooklyn Blackbirds are defending champions of the Northeast Conference. As a result of that title, the Blackbirds reached their 7th NCAA Tournament, and fourth in the last nine years.

RED FOXES

THE MARIST COLLEGE

The Red Foxes play out of the town of Poughkeepsie, located in upstate New York. Coached by John Dunne, the Red Foxes represent the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and are two-time NCAA tournament participants.