ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– Navy vs. Princeton and Houston vs. Saint Joseph's are the pairings for the ninth edition of the Veterans Classic men's basketball doubleheader, slated to be played Friday, Nov. 11 in Annapolis.  CBS Sports Network will televise both games, as it has since the inception of the event.  The Hawks and the Cougars will tip at 6 p.m. and the Mids and the Tigers will follow at 8:30 p.m.
  
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.
 
This year's game between Navy and Princeton resumes a series that began Dec. 26, 1908, and was last contested during the 1977-78 season.  The Tigers hold a 24-10 advantage over the Mids in the series.
  
Navy ended last year with a 21-11 record, a second-place finish in the Patriot League's regular season with a record of 12-6 and an appearance in the championship game of the league tournament for the first time since the 2000-01 season.  The Mids have compiled a 36-14 record over the last two seasons.
 
"We are looking forward to hosting three historic programs in this year's Veterans Classic," said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis, the 2021 and '22 Patriot League Coach of the Year.  "Houston, Saint Joseph's and Princeton all have played a major role in college basketball.  This will once again bring outstanding teams, players and coaches to the U.S. Naval Academy and Alumni Hall.  Princeton will certainly be a great test for Navy at the start of the season."
 
Princeton ended the 2021-22 season with an overall record of 23-7 and an Ivy League mark of 12-2.  The Tigers won the regular season title in the Ivy League, but lost in the championship game of the league tournament.  Princeton would go on to compete in the NIT.
 
Princeton is the first Ivy League team to take part in the Veterans Classic.
 
"It is such an honor for us to participate in the Veterans Classic and to be guests of the United States Naval Academy," said Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson.  "We are excited to be able to visit such a prestigious and historic place that excels in its high standards of academics, athletics and military performance.  Our program is humbled at this invitation and to experience the daily life first-hand."

The game between Saint Joseph's and Houston will be the inaugural meeting between the teams.
 
Houston compiled a 32-6 record during the 2021-22 season and was ranked seventh in last year's final ESPN Coaches' Poll.  The Cougars won the American Athletic Conference regular season title with a 15-3 record (third titles in four years), won the AAC tournament (second championship in a row) and reached the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament (also played in 2021 Final Four).
 
Houston is the fifth American Athletic Conference team to play in the Veterans Classic.  The last to do so was East Carolina in 2019.
 
"This will be a great opportunity to expose our kids to the history of the U.S. Naval Academy that they can only read about," said Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson.  "For me personally, there has always been an appeal for going to the Academy and being in Annapolis. I have always wanted to take a team to the U.S. Naval Academy. When this opportunity came, we took it."

Saint Joseph's posted an overall record of 11-19 last season and a mark of 5-13 in Atlantic 10 Conference regular season games.  
 
This is the fifth year in a row and the sixth time overall in which a team from the Atlantic 10 Conference is part of the Veterans Classic.
 
"The Veterans Classic in Annapolis is one of college basketball's premier events," said Saint Joseph's head coach and former Navy head coach Billy Lange.  "It is an honor for our program to compete on this day as we remember and show respect to all those who have fought for us. Spending time on The Yard of the United States Naval Academy will be an amazing experience for our team and staff.  We are excited to bring our students and fans from Hawk Hill to take part in such a great opportunity for all of Saint Joseph's University."
  
Winners of past Veterans Classic games include VCU, Michigan State, North Carolina, Florida, Marquette, Ohio State, Alabama, Wichita State, Maryland and Auburn, with Navy recording victories against Pittsburgh, East Carolina and George Washington.  In the seven seasons in which a postseason tournament has been held in the same year as the Veterans Classic, 14 of the 19 visiting teams to participate in the event earned a national postseason tournament berth.  This includes Michigan State, which made the 2015 Final Four, and North Carolina, which advanced to the 2016 national championship game.
 
There have been 28 Veterans Classic players who have gone on to play in the NBA.  An additional four Veterans Classic players signed free agent contracts after the 2022 NBA Draft.
 
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
2021: Utah State 85, Richmond 74; Virginia Tech 77, Navy 57
 
Veterans Classic Visiting Team Conference Representation
American Athletic Conference (5): Temple (2015), Memphis (2017), Wichita State (2018), East Carolina (2019), Houston (2022)
Atlantic Coast Conference (3): North Carolina (2015), Pittsburgh (2017), Virginia Tech (2021)
Atlantic 10 Conference (6): VCU (2014), Davidson (2019), George Washington (2020), Richmond (2021), Saint Joseph's (2022)
Big East Conference (2): Marquette (2016), Providence (2018)
Big Ten Conference (3): Michigan State (2014), Ohio State (2016), Maryland (2018)
Ivy League (1): Princeton (2022)
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 (28)
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, Micah Potter, Jae'Sean Tate; Vanderbilt - Luke Kornet; Marquette - Markus Howard, Sam Hauser.
2017: Alabama - Donta Hall, Herb Jones; Memphis - Jeremiah Martin.
2018: Wichita State - Jamie Echenique; Maryland - Bruno Fernando, Jalen Smith, Aaron Wiggins.
2019: Auburn - Isaac Okoro.

2022 NBA Post-Draft Free Agent Signings: Jacob Gilyard (Richmond, 2021), Grant Golden (Richmond, 2021), Keve Aluma (Virginia Tech, 2021), Justin Bean (Utah State, 2021)