CHARLOTTE — A new college basketball event is coming to Charlotte, and it’s bringing two of the top programs to the Queen City for the opening days of the 2025-2026 season.
ESPN Events and the Charlotte Sports Foundation on Monday announced the creation of the Dick Vitale Invitational, the same day as Vitale’s 86th birthday.
The invitational will bring the Duke Blue Devils and the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball teams to the Spectrum Center. The game is set for Tuesday, Nov. 4.
NEW: @CLTSports just announced the creation of The Dick Vitale Invitational.
— DaShawn Brown (@DaShawnWSOC9) June 9, 2025
It’s a new men’s college basketball event honoring the Hall of Fame broadcaster.
The inaugural matchup is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4th in the Spectrum Center:
Duke vs. Texas. @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/2wUShGhsBu
Vitale was part of ESPN’s first year in 1979, and he’s called more than 1,000 games since then.
“For over 30 years, Dick Vitale has been the voice of college basketball,” said Clint Overby, Vice President of ESPN Events. “I can’t think of a better way to honor his legacy than have a basketball event featuring the very best of the sport.”
Ticket information will be available later on, you can click this link to sign up for presale notifications.
(VIDEO: Spectrum Center transforms to welcome top tennis pros for Charlotte Invitational)
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