PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (June 3, 2024) – SMU, Washington State, Fresno State and Cal Baptist will participate in the inaugural Acrisure Holiday Invitational, Nov. 26-27, during Thanksgiving week in Palm Springs, California.
The event at Acrisure Arena begins with the semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 26 featuring the Mustangs versus Cal Baptist followed by Fresno State against Washington State. The 3
rd-place game and championship are on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
The Mustangs are entering their first season in the ACC under new head coach Andy Enfield. In addition to the Acrisure Holiday Invitational, SMU's inaugural season in the ACC includes home and away games with Cal, Stanford and Virginia in addition to hosting Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse and Wake Forest at Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs' road-only opponents are Boston College, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26
SMU vs Cal Baptist 5:30pm CT/3:30pm PT
Fresno State vs Washington State 8pm CT/6pm PT
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27
Acrisure Holiday Invitational 3
rd-place Game – 8pm CT/6pm PT
Acrisure Holiday Invitational Championship Game – 10:30pm CT/8:30pm PT
The Mustangs Are Coming! On the heels of a school-record eight-championship season and set for its inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), SMU is riding a surge of momentum heading into 2024-25.
SMU has already set a new season-ticket sales record for Ford Stadium, with sales up more than 60%, and tickets for men's and women's basketball are also selling at record rates.
To continue the momentum, SMU Athletics invites you to become part of the Game Changer program, by selling season tickets within your network. As SMU moves to the ACC, we need you to introduce SMU to your friends and colleagues.
Signing up is easy! You'll be paired with a ticket sales executive and you will be helping us fill Ford Stadium this fall.
Be a Game Changer and
Think B.I.G.:
Buy a ticket!
Introduce someone new to SMU!
Give – to the Mustang Club, ACC Competitiveness Campaign, Weber EZC and Boulevard Collective!
The Acrisure Holiday Invitational is a part of the Acrisure Series, the country's largest MTE series, (multiple team event) which will be held at the beautiful new 11,000-seat Acrisure Arena.
"We are excited to have creatively scheduled four full days of high quality men's and women's college basketball at Acrisure Arena. We are very grateful to our partners at Acrisure and Visit Greater Palm Springs who made this event possible, and for TNT Sports for jumping into this with us for the years to come to take this event to the next level. We think the Acrisure series of college basketball events will be among the best holiday events in the country." – co-Tournament Director Dan Shell
"Sponsoring the Acrisure Series is a testament to our commitment to excellence and community engagement. We are thrilled to see the tournament expand in 2024, bringing fans from across the country to Acrisure Arena for an unforgettable celebration of top-tier college basketball. We are proud to play a hand in creating and growing this premier event on the basketball calendar. Spectators will experience our oasis of picturesque mountains, endless sunshine, palm-tree filled vistas and world-class accommodations. Greater Palm Springs is a quintessential destination for visitors interested in a variety of unforgettable experiences in an iconic setting, and we are thrilled to be the host destination."– Acrisure's chairman and CEO Greg Williams
"The Tribe has always supported sports at all levels, and as a founding partner of Acrisure Arena, we're proud to take part in bringing College level Tournaments to the Coachella Valley. We can help turn the Valley into the premier sports destination in Southern California." – Spotlight29 Casino Chairman Darrell Mike
Tickets
Tickets for the Acrisure Holiday Invitational go on sale Friday, June 7, at 12 p.m. CT/10 a.m. PT and will be available at the Acrisure Arena box office, online at
acrisurearena.com and
Ticketmaster.com, the official ticketing provider of Acrisure Arena. One ticket is admission for the entire day, and can be used to watch any and all games played in Acrisure Arena on that day.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Spencer, Tournament Director: 513.253.4900, Email: chrisbbpromotion@aol.com
Sam Threadgill, Scoop Marketing for Acrisure Arena: sthreadgill@solters.com
