Navy and CBS Sports Network agree to multi-year extension to televise the annual event
 
ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– Navy vs. Virginia Tech and Richmond vs. Utah State are the pairings for the eighth edition of the Veterans Classic men's basketball doubleheader, slated to be played Friday, Nov. 12 in Annapolis.  CBS Sports Network will televise both games, as it has since the inception of the event.  The Spiders and the Aggies will tip at 6 p.m. and the Mids and the Hokies will follow at 8:30 p.m.
 
CBS Sports Network and Navy also have agreed to a multi-year extension for the network to continue televising the Veterans Classic in the years ahead.
 
CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour home of CBS Sports, is widely available through all major cable, satellite and telco distributors as well as via OTT streaming service providers YouTube TV, fuboTV, DirecTV and Hulu.  Additionally, a live CBS Sports Network stream is available through CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App by authenticating with select providers.  For more information, including a full programming schedule, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.
 
The Veterans Classic, held annually around Veterans Day, honors our nation's veterans and showcases the U.S. Naval Academy.  Each of the visiting teams immerse themselves in the inner workings of the U.S. Naval Academy through guided tours held on the day before the games. 
 
Tickets for the doubleheader are now on sale through the Navy Ticket Office at either 1-800-US4-NAVY, by clicking on the TICKETS tab in the masthead of NavySports.com and then selecting BASKETBALL, or by clicking HERE.  Reserved tickets for the doubleheader in the lower level of Alumni Hall are $40 and upper level general admission seats can be purchased for $25.
 
Navy and Virginia Tech have split the six games played to date in the series, which dates back to the 1913-14 season.  The teams last met Dec. 7, 2008, in Washington, D.C., as part of the BB&T Classic.  The Hokies defeated the Mids that day, 79-70.  Prior to that game, the previous two games in the series took place Feb. 15, 1964, in Blacksburg, Va. (VT, 79-54), and Jan. 23, 1960, in Annapolis (VT, 89-78).
 
A tie that binds the two programs is Don DeVoe, who served as the head coach at each school.  DeVoe compiled an 88-45 record in five seasons (1972-76) at Virginia Tech and a 184-161 record in 12 seasons (1993-04) at Navy.
 
Navy tallied a 15-3 overall record in 2020-21 and earned the team's first outright No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament since the 1996-97 season with a 12-1 record against league foes.  The Mids return four starters from last year's team.
 
"We are pleased and excited to welcome the University of Richmond, Utah State and Virginia Tech to Annapolis for the Veterans Classic, and we thank them for joining us in paying tribute to our nation's veterans," said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis.  "These are three historic teams which have had success in the NCAA Tournament and are led by coaches who have received coach-of-the-year honors during their careers."
 
Virginia Tech posted a 15-7 overall record in 2020-21 and earned the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.  The Hokies advanced to the first round of this year's NCAA Tournament.  It was the fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the program as Virginia Tech also appeared in the 2017 (22-11, first round), '18 (21-12, first round) and '19 (26-9, Sweet 16) tournaments.
 
Virginia Tech is the first ACC team in four years and the third overall to take part in the Veterans Classic.
 
"It is a special honor to have the opportunity to compete in the Veterans Classic and to do so at the United States Naval Academy," said Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young. "Our program is also looking forward to the access we will gain by participating in this exceptional event. To be able to see the inner workings of our Naval Academy will enable our group to see first-hand what those who are preparing to defend our country go through on a daily basis – balancing academics, athletics and military training."
 
The game between Richmond and Utah State will be the inaugural meeting between the teams.
 
Richmond advanced to the second round of the 2021 NIT and ended the season with an overall record of 14-9.  The Spiders were the No. 8 seed in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament after they tallied a 6-5 record in conference play.  Richmond had posted a 24-7 record in 2019-20 and were the No. 2 seed in that year's conference tournament (14-4) when the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
This is the fourth year in a row and the fifth time overall in which a team from the Atlantic 10 Conference is part of the Veterans Classic.
 
"We are very excited to be a part of this year's Veterans Classic," said Richmond head coach Chris Mooney.  "In my five years at Air Force, I was honored to play a part in the critically important mission of our service academies: transforming young men and women into our nation's next generation of leaders. Having the chance to be with our team at the Naval Academy on Veterans Day and to play an opponent as accomplished as Utah State the following day is a tremendous opportunity for our program and we're looking forward to coming to Annapolis in November."
 
Utah State ended the 2020-21 season with a 20-9 record and in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  The Aggies compiled a 15-4 record in the Mountain West Conference and were the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament for the third year a row.  Utah State won the Mountain West Conference Tournament in 2020 and would have taken its 26-8 record into the NCAA Tournament had the event not been canceled.  One year prior, the Aggies finished the 2018-19 season in the NCAA Tournament and tallied a 28-7 overall record.
 
Utah State is the first Mountain West Conference team to play in the Veterans Classic and is the second team located west of the Mississippi River to travel to Annapolis for the event.
 
"We are thrilled to be invited to compete in the Veterans Classic," said Utah State head coach Ryan Odom, who is entering his first year at the school after serving as the head coach at UMBC for the last seven seasons.  "It's an honor to visit Navy and it will be an incredible experience for our players, coaches and Aggie supporters."
 
Winners of past Veterans Classic games include VCU, Michigan State, North Carolina, Florida, Marquette, Ohio State, Alabama, Wichita State, Maryland and Auburn.
 
There have been 23 Veterans Classic players who have gone on to play in the NBA.
 
Past Veterans Classic Results
2014: No. 15 VCU 85, Tennessee 69; No. 18 Michigan State 64, Navy 59
2015: No. 1 North Carolina 91, Temple 67; Florida 59, Navy 41
2016: Marquette 95, Vanderbilt 71; Ohio State 78, Navy 68
2017: No. 25 Alabama 82, Memphis 70; Navy 71, Pittsburgh 62
2018: Wichita State 83, Providence 80; Maryland 78, Navy 57
2019: No. 24 / 23 Auburn 76, Davidson 66; Navy 62, East Carolina 57
2020: Navy 78, George Washington 71
 
Veterans Classic Visiting Team Conference Representation
American Athletic Conference (4): Temple (2015), Memphis (2017), Wichita State (2018), East Carolina (2019)
Atlantic Coast Conference (3): North Carolina (2015), Pittsburgh (2017), Virginia Tech (2021)
Atlantic 10 Conference (5): VCU (2014), Davidson (2019), George Washington (2020), Richmond (2021)
Big East Conference (2): Marquette (2016), Providence (2018)
Big Ten Conference (3): Michigan State (2014), Ohio State (2016), Maryland (2018)
Mountain West Conference (1): Utah State (2021)
Southeastern Conference (5): Tennessee (2014), Florida (2015), Vanderbilt (2016), Alabama (2017), Auburn (2019)
 
Future NBA Players to play in the Veterans Classic (23)
2014: Michigan State - Matt Costello, Branden Dawson, Bryn Forbes, Denzel Valentine; Tennessee - Josh Richardson, Tariq Owens; VCU - Treveon Graham.
2015: Florida - Chris Chiozza, Dorian Finney-Smith, Devin Robinson; North Carolina - Isaiah Hicks, Justin Jackson, Brice Johnson, Theo Pinson.
2016: Ohio State - Keita Bates-Diop, Jae'Sean Tate; Vanderbilt - Luke Kornet; Marquette - Markus Howard.
2017: Alabama - Donta Hall; Memphis - Jeremiah Martin.
2018: Maryland - Bruno Fernando, Jalen Smith.
2019: Auburn - Isaac Okoro.