INDIANAPOLIS -– Purdue, Indiana, Notre Dame and Butler officials weren't about to mess with success.
In other words, the Crossroads Classic is good for two more years.
Athletic directors from those four schools have agreed to a two year extension of the event, which debuted last December at Indianapolis' Bankers Life Fieldhouse. That keeps the Classic going until at least 2014.
Last December, Indiana beat Notre Dame and Butler edged Purdue in front of a sellout crowd of more than 19,000. The games were nationally televised by CBS and ESPN2.
“The inaugural year highlighted spirited competition as well as large and lively crowds,” Boilers athletic director Morgan Burke said in a release. “We hope the Crossroads Classic will be a holiday tradition in Indianapolis for many years to come.”
This season's event is set for Dec. 15. It will be Dec. 14 in 2013 and Dec. 20 in 2014.
“I think very early on you could see the excitement building about having these four program together at one venue,” IU athletic director Fred Glass said in the same release. “I think it has quickly become a showcase event for college basketball fans in the state of Indiana.”
Opponents will rotate this coming season. Purdue will play Notre Dame while Indiana takes on Butler.
IU is a preseason No. 1 and is considered a national title contender after a Sweet 16 finish. Purdue and Notre Dame are coming off NCAA tourney seasons. Butler failed to make the NCAA tourney after reaching the national championship game the previous two seasons.
“Notre Dame looks forward to building this into not only one of the premier college basketball events in the country,” Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick said, “but also into a platform for broader collaboration among four great universities.”
Added Butler athletic director Barry Collier: “This competition will continue to showcase our institutions and their teams in an electric atmosphere in a great venue. Indianapolis is the perfect location for these elite college basketball match-ups.”
