The Rady Children’s Invitational has yet to tip off, but it already has teams lined up for Year 2.
Men’s basketball teams from Arkansas, BYU, Notre Dame and Purdue will play each other Nov. 28-29, 2024, at LionTree Arena on campus at UC San Diego. The event will be the second for UCSD, which will host the first Rady Children’s Invitational next month. Iowa, No. 21 USC, Seton Hall and Oklahoma are set for this year’s event, which takes place Nov. 23-24 and airs nationally on Fox and Fox Sports 1.
Mark Neville, CEO of Sports San Diego, the organization putting on the Rady Children’s Invitaitional, said he was “fired up to have these premier college basketball programs and institutions with amazing traditions and fan bases set to play in San Diego next year.” Though college basketball powers fluctuate wildly year to year, there’s reason to be excited for the 2024 showcase. Purdue is ranked No. 3 in this year’s first AP Top-25 poll; Arkansas is 14th.
The Razorbacks are coached by Eric Musselman, who grew up in San Diego, attended USD and remains a Padres superfan. Notre Dame and BYU typically travel well, in part because both schools have large alumni bases in the West. The Purdue Alumni Club of San Diego is especially active, having raised more than $140,000 in scholarship money since 2013.
Ticket prices for this year’s Rady Children’s Invitational start at $35 per day, with admission to two games included. Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego receives $5 from each ticket sold. Those who buy tickets for the 2023 event will have priority for 2024.
“We’re thrilled that the Rady Children’s Invitational is attracting some of the best college programs in the country to our region and shining the national spotlight on San Diego,” said Stephen Jennings, Senior Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officer at Rady Children’s Hospital and Executive Director at Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation.
