The bracket for the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational was revealed today. The eight-team tournament will be held at Walt Disney World Resort Thanksgiving weekend – Thursday, Nov. 23, Friday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Nov. 26 – at State Farm Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.
Six of the eight participating teams played in the 2023 NCAA Tournament: Florida Atlantic (Final Four), Penn State (second round) as well was Boise State, Iowa State, Texas A&M and VCU. Three schools in the field – Butler (2010 and 2011), Florida Atlantic (2023) and VCU (2011) – have made Final Four appearances since 2010.
Matchup Highlights
- Florida Atlantic, the first ESPN Events Invitational team coming off a Final Four appearance since Villanova in 2018, and currently ranked No. 9 in ESPN.com’s Way-Too-Early Top 25, will open their first invitational against the Big East’s Butler.
- Texas A&M, ranked No. 19 in ESPN.com’s Way-Too-Early Top 25, will play Penn State from the Big Ten.
- VCU, also a newcomer to the ESPN Events Invitational, tips off against the Big 12’s Iowa State.
- Boise State, an NCAA Tournament team last season, will play its first ever ESPN Events Invitational game against Virginia Tech, a 2023 NIT participant.
The 2023 ESPN Events Invitational, a bracket-format tournament, will feature 12 games over the three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 26.
This is the 17th year Walt Disney World has hosted the tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. All the games will once again be played at State Farm Field House a venue that has been the site of world-class basketball competitions including NBA games and elite youth tournaments.
Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster.
- All-Tournament tickets are available at a $15 discount through Friday, August 11 using the promo code “MAGIC”
- Single-Session tickets are available now for the Lower Center Court tier
- Single-session tickets for all other tiers will go on sale October 2
VIP Hospitality will go on sale at a later date. To sign up for updates, visit https://espnevents.com/espn-events-invitational/vip-hospitality.
Travel packages, including a discounted rate at the Gaylord Palms Resort and transportation to/from the arena, will soon be available via Anthony Travel. To learn more and sign up for notifications, visit https://book.anthonytravel.com/d/espn-events-invitational.
ESPN EVENTS INVITATIONAL
November 23, 24 and 26
State Farm Field House (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, near Orlando, Fla.)
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup/Event | Network |
| Thu, Nov. 23 | Noon | Penn State vs. Texas A&M | ESPN |
| 2:30 p.m. | Florida Atlantic vs. Butler | ESPN2 | |
| 5:30 p.m. | Iowa State vs. VCU | ESPN2 | |
| 8 p.m. | Boise State vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN2 or ESPNU | |
| Fri, Nov. 24 | 11 a.m. | Semifinal #1 | ESPN2 |
| 1:30 p.m. | Consolation Game #1 | ESPN+ | |
| 5:30 p.m. | Semifinal #2 | ESPN2 | |
| 8 p.m. | Consolation Game #2 | ESPNU | |
| Sun, Nov. 26 | 10:30 a.m. | Seventh Place Game | ESPNU |
| 1 p.m. | Championship Game | ESPN | |
| 4 p.m. | Fifth Place Game | ESPN2 | |
| 6:30 p.m. | Third Place Game | ESPN2 |
About ESPN Events:
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a nationwide portfolio of collegiate sporting events. In 2023, the 32-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, ten college basketball events, and a college softball event, in addition to a new college gymnastics event coming in 2024. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms while reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities and provides unique experiences for teams and fans
About ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex:
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, located at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, is the nation’s premier site for amateur sports. The complex hosts over 100 entertainment and sporting events each year and has accommodated 70 sports featuring athletes from 70 countries. Designed to provide professional, amateur, and youth athletes with experiences synonymous with the names Disney and ESPN, the 220-acre facility features multiple competition venues, including 16 baseball/softball fields; a 9,500-seat ballpark; a state-of-the-art indoor arena, 17 multi-purpose outdoor fields for soccer, football and field hockey; three field houses for basketball, volleyball, and other indoor sports; a track & field facility; and a cross country course. The sports complex also contains a professional production center that produces content for the Disney family of networks and distributes programming globally through its extensive fiber network.
