USATSI
The 2020 CBS Sports Classic will be held in Cleveland on Dec. 19, event organizers announced Thursday.
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, will host the blue blood-laden event for the first time. CBS Sports’ annual December college basketball doubleheader showcase features, as always, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA and Ohio State.
Heading into the season those four teams are all top-25 quality.
Both games will be broadcast on CBS, making for an absolutely loaded tripleheader of basketball on Dec. 19. At noon ET on CBS, potential preseason top-five teams Gonzaga and Iowa will play each other in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. That game will lead into CBS’ coverage of the games in Cleveland, which will be followed by college football’s SEC Championship Game at 8 p.m.
2 p.m. ET: No. 16 North Carolina vs. No. 17 Ohio StateApprox. 4:30 p.m.: No. 13 Kentucky vs. No. 23 UCLA
Team rankings are according to CBS Sports’ preseason Top 25 And 1. It’s not yet been determined whether or not any fans will be allowed to attend the event.
Want more preseason coverage? The Eye on College Basketball podcast reveals our All-Americans and preseason awards below.
“The health and safety of fans and everyone involved in this event is a top priority, and any fan attendance policies will, at a minimum, follow the guidelines outlined in the Responsible RestartOhio plan,” according to Thursday’s release from Intersport, the company organizing the event. “Future announcements related to fan attendance will be made at the appropriate time. Fans can also register to receive event alerts by registering online at www.cbssportsclassic.com/tickets.”
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is the fifth venue to host the CBS Sports Classic; Chicago, Brooklyn, Las Vegas and New Orleans being the previous cities to house one of the biggest nonconference events every December.
