MSG college hoops slate features 9 ranked teams and NCAAs
By MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Nine teams currently in the AP Top 25 will play at Madison Square Garden this season, including top-ranked North Carolina in a December doubleheader packed with blue-blood programs.
The 2022-23 college basketball schedule at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” was finalized this week with the announcement that No. 12 Michigan State will face Rutgers in the Big Ten Super Saturday matchup Feb. 4 at MSG.
No. 4 Texas, No. 8 Duke and No. 15 Kentucky are among the teams also making appearances in Manhattan. Plus, the NCAA Tournament returns with the East Regional semifinals and final on March 23 and 25.
It all starts with the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 6, when Jon Scheyer makes his Madison Square Garden head coaching debut as Duke takes on No. 25 Iowa. Texas plays 16th-ranked Illinois in the second game of the doubleheader.
Less than two weeks later, the CBS Sports Classic comes to The Garden for the first time featuring several of the nation’s most successful schools.
John Calipari and Kentucky square off against No. 19 UCLA in the opener of a Saturday afternoon twinbill Dec. 17. North Carolina plays Ohio State in the nightcap.
St. John’s, off to a 6-0 start, plays four Big East home games at MSG, hosting Villanova on Jan. 20, Georgetown on Jan. 29, Providence on Feb. 11 and No. 20 UConn on Feb. 25.
And the Big East Championship from March 8-11 will be held at The Garden for the 41st consecutive year, the nation’s longest running conference tournament at one venue.
One familiar event that’s gone is the 86th annual National Invitation Tournament, which this year moved its semifinals and championship game in late March to Las Vegas from their traditional home at Madison Square Garden going back to 1938. ___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
