University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols To Play In Inaugural Women’s Champions Classic At Barclays Center
February 15, 2024 | Women's Basketball
NEW YORK – HS&E and FOX Sports announced Thursday the launch of a new early-season college basketball showcase, the Women's Champions Classic, featuring UConn, Iowa, Louisville and Tennessee squaring off in a prime time doubleheader on the FOX broadcast network on Dec. 7, 2024, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Initial plans call for an annual event featuring UConn, the most successful women's basketball program in the nation, in an early season showcase that will include a rotation of some of the most storied college programs.
"Interest in women's sports continues to experience exponential growth, and basketball is leading the way with viewership and attendance records continually being set," said David Levy, Co-CEO of HS&E. "This moment feels like the right time to launch the Women's Champions Classic, set in the mecca of basketball, and we are proud to have these four storied programs participate in our inaugural event.
"The Women's Champions Classic will serve as a platform to showcase the remarkable talent and unwavering dedication of these teams and student-athletes in prime time on FOX, captivating audiences far and wide. Together with our partners at FOX, we look forward to igniting excitement and celebration around women's basketball while honoring the exceptional student-athletes who make it shine."
"The Women's Champions Classic is the next step in FOX Sports' longstanding commitment to elevating women's athletics, and we are eager to showcase these student-athletes at the highest level – in prime time on the FOX broadcast network," said Jordan Bazant, Executive Vice President, FOX Sports. "Alongside our partners at HS&E, the exceptional participating schools and their conferences, we could not be more excited to bring the Women's Champions Classic to college hoops fans around the nation."
The inaugural Women's Champions Classic features:
University of Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper
"We are honored to take part in the inaugural Women's Champions Classic. What an exciting opportunity for our student-athletes to compete in a national showcase event that will continue to elevate the increased exposure we are seeing in women's basketball. The Lady Vols have a long tradition of doing whatever we can to grow the game, and we can't wait to hit the court at the Barclays Center next December."
University of Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma
"We're very excited to have the Women's Champions Classic on our schedule for the foreseeable future. There's never been a higher level of interest in women's basketball. The Champions Classic will give fans exciting, marquee match-ups early in the season."
University of Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder
"This is a fabulous opportunity for our team and our Iowa fans – at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. An early season game like this will have a NCAA tournament feel. Our east coast fans will show up, no doubt!"
University of Louisville head coach Jeff Walz
"We are very excited and honored to take part in the inaugural Women's Champion Classic next season. It will be a great showcase for our sport to have some of the best programs in college basketball compete on a national stage. Our team is looking forward to the opportunity the event will provide us next season."
For more information, please visit womenschampionsclassic.com. Also, you can follow the Women's Champions Classic across the following social platforms.
Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) provides a unique and complementary combination of sports, experiential marketing and media capabilities. HS&E has a core focus on IP creation and monetization, strategic advisory and consulting, media rights, sponsorship, sales, and experiential, Metaverse, and Web3.0 strategy and activation. HS&E is led by co-CEOs David Levy and Chris Weil.
About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing FOX Corporation's wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, the business has ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Network; FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports' digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Additionally, FOX Sports and social broadcasting platform, Caffeine jointly own Caffeine Studios which creates exclusive eSports, sports and live entertainment content. Also included in FOX Sports' portfolio are FOX's interests in joint-venture business Big Ten Network, and a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.
Initial plans call for an annual event featuring UConn, the most successful women's basketball program in the nation, in an early season showcase that will include a rotation of some of the most storied college programs.
"Interest in women's sports continues to experience exponential growth, and basketball is leading the way with viewership and attendance records continually being set," said David Levy, Co-CEO of HS&E. "This moment feels like the right time to launch the Women's Champions Classic, set in the mecca of basketball, and we are proud to have these four storied programs participate in our inaugural event.
"The Women's Champions Classic will serve as a platform to showcase the remarkable talent and unwavering dedication of these teams and student-athletes in prime time on FOX, captivating audiences far and wide. Together with our partners at FOX, we look forward to igniting excitement and celebration around women's basketball while honoring the exceptional student-athletes who make it shine."
"The Women's Champions Classic is the next step in FOX Sports' longstanding commitment to elevating women's athletics, and we are eager to showcase these student-athletes at the highest level – in prime time on the FOX broadcast network," said Jordan Bazant, Executive Vice President, FOX Sports. "Alongside our partners at HS&E, the exceptional participating schools and their conferences, we could not be more excited to bring the Women's Champions Classic to college hoops fans around the nation."
The inaugural Women's Champions Classic features:
- Four women's college basketball programs, boasting a total of 19 NCAA Division I National Championships and 46 appearances in NCAA Final Fours. Additionally, these esteemed programs have garnered over 120 conference titles collectively.
- UConn has won a record 11 NCAA Division I National Championships, including a record four in a row from 2013-16. Additionally, they have appeared in 22 Final Fours and have won 57 conference regular season and tournament championships.
- The University of Iowa is coming off a 2023 Final Four and National Championship Game appearance. The Hawkeyes have appeared in two NCAA Final Fours in program history and have captured a combined 15 BIG TEN conference and regular season titles.
- The University of Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team has appeared in four Final Fours, including two appearances in the NCAA National Championship Game. They have won a combined 15 regular season and conference tournament championships. The Cardinals are currently the only team in the country that has been to each of the last five Elite Eights.
- The University of Tennessee has earned the most victories in the history of NCAA Division I women's college basketball with 1466. The Lady Vols have captured eight national championships, with 18 NCAA Final Four appearances, and a combined 35 SEC conference and regular season titles.
University of Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper
"We are honored to take part in the inaugural Women's Champions Classic. What an exciting opportunity for our student-athletes to compete in a national showcase event that will continue to elevate the increased exposure we are seeing in women's basketball. The Lady Vols have a long tradition of doing whatever we can to grow the game, and we can't wait to hit the court at the Barclays Center next December."
University of Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma
"We're very excited to have the Women's Champions Classic on our schedule for the foreseeable future. There's never been a higher level of interest in women's basketball. The Champions Classic will give fans exciting, marquee match-ups early in the season."
University of Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder
"This is a fabulous opportunity for our team and our Iowa fans – at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. An early season game like this will have a NCAA tournament feel. Our east coast fans will show up, no doubt!"
University of Louisville head coach Jeff Walz
"We are very excited and honored to take part in the inaugural Women's Champion Classic next season. It will be a great showcase for our sport to have some of the best programs in college basketball compete on a national stage. Our team is looking forward to the opportunity the event will provide us next season."
For more information, please visit womenschampionsclassic.com. Also, you can follow the Women's Champions Classic across the following social platforms.
- Instagram: @WomensChampsClassic
- Facebook: @WomensChampsClassic
- TikTok: @WomensChampsClassic
- YouTube: @WomensChampsClassic
- Twitter: @WChampsClassic
Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) provides a unique and complementary combination of sports, experiential marketing and media capabilities. HS&E has a core focus on IP creation and monetization, strategic advisory and consulting, media rights, sponsorship, sales, and experiential, Metaverse, and Web3.0 strategy and activation. HS&E is led by co-CEOs David Levy and Chris Weil.
About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing FOX Corporation's wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, the business has ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Network; FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports' digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Additionally, FOX Sports and social broadcasting platform, Caffeine jointly own Caffeine Studios which creates exclusive eSports, sports and live entertainment content. Also included in FOX Sports' portfolio are FOX's interests in joint-venture business Big Ten Network, and a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.
WBB | Kim Caldwell Media Availability (8.28.25)
Thursday, August 28
Lady Vol Basketball Season Attendance 2024-25
Thursday, April 10
WBB | Caldwell, Whitehorn, Spencer Postgame Presser | 3.29.25
Saturday, March 29
WBB | Highlights: Lady Vols 59, Texas 67 (3.29.25)
Saturday, March 29
