WVU, Ohio State and Dayton among teams to play in new basketball event

Paul Schofield | Wednesday, October 14, 2020 4:48 p.m.

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins led his team to a Top 25 ranking last season.

West Virginia, Ohio State and Dayton are among a strong field that will compete in the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Nov. 25-27.

The Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic is a new event. Others in the field are Creighton, Memphis, Texas A&M, Utah and Wichita State.

West Virginia (21-10) originally was scheduled to play in the Battle 4 Atlantic, but it was cancelled because of covid-19 concerns.

Dayton, Creighton, Ohio State and West Virginia all finished in the Top 25 last season.

All 12 games will air live on the ESPN family of networks.

“Since opening in 2013, the Sanford Pentagon has earned the reputation of being a premier place to host Division I basketball games,” said Jesse Smith, vice president of operations for the Sanford Sports Complex. “We are privileged to welcome these eight teams to Sioux Falls and will provide them a safe and memorable experience to start their season.”

Lennie Foree, marketing director of Bad Boy Mowers, said in a release: “This is going to be an epic three days of basketball, and we are excited to help bring some of the most prominent teams in college basketball to Sioux Falls. It’s become a Thanksgiving tradition to kick the college basketball season off with a bang, and we’re so proud to be able to give fans a taste of hoops during the holiday week.”

West Virginia opens Nov. 25 against Texas A&M at 1 p.m. followed by Ohio State and Memphis at 3:30, Creighton and Utah at 6 and Dayton and Wichita State at 8:30.