Empire Classic Champions
Empire Classic Champions
Full list of Empire Classic champions, including head coach, by year. The Empire Classic – formerly known as the 2K Sports Classic, Atlantic City Shootout and Coaches vs. Cancer Classic – is an early season Division I men’s college basketball event that has taken place annually since 1995. Outside of 1995, 1996, 2002 and 2003, when it was a showcase, the event takes the format of a bracketed tournament. The semifinals and finals were held at Madison Square Garden in New York City from 1998-2019. Games moved to Uncasville, CT for 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns, then Las Vegas in 2021. The 2022 event was held in Brooklyn before returning to MSG in 2023.
Year | Champion | Head Coach |
1995 | No Tournament (Showcase Format) | |
1996 | No Tournament (Showcase Format) | |
1997 | Princeton | Bill Carmody |
1998 | Temple | John Chaney |
1999 | Stanford | Mike Montgomery |
2000 | Kansas | Roy Williams |
2001 | Arizona | Lute Olson |
2002 | No Tournament (Showcase Format) | |
2003 | No Tournament (Showcase Format) | |
2004 | Syracuse | Jim Boeheim |
2005 | Florida | Billy Donovan |
2006 | Maryland | Gary Williams |
2007 | Memphis ** | John Calipari ** |
2008 | Duke | Mike Krzyzewski |
2009 | Syracuse (2) | Jim Boeheim (2) |
2010 | Pittsburgh | Jamie Dixon |
2011 | Mississippi State | Rick Stansbury |
2012 | Alabama | Anthony Grant |
2013 | Connecticut | Jim Calhoun |
2014 | Texas | Rick Barnes |
2015 | Duke (2) | Mike Krzyzewski (2) |
2016 | Michigan | John Beilein |
2017 | Providence | Ed Cooley |
2018 | Iowa | Fran McCaffery |
2019 | Duke (3) | Mike Krzyzewski (3) |
2020 | Villanova | Jay Wright |
2021 | No Tournament (Showcase Format) | |
2022 | St. John’s | Mike Anderson |
2023 | Connecticut (2) | Dan Hurley |
2024 |
** all Memphis wins this season were later vacated by the NCAA
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