The fifth annual Cathedral Classic returns to the Palestra with expanded five-team field
The basketball tournament previously was a four-team round-robin. This year, it will not crown a winner. Penn and La Salle are slated to play in the doubleheaders.
With this year marking the Palestra’s 100th anniversary, the fifth annual Cathedral Classic is expanding.
The multiteam event, which previously was a four-team round-robin, will boast five teams this year: host Penn, La Salle, Bucknell, Buffalo, and Towson. The classic also is shifting from three days to two and no longer will crown a winner.
The two days of doubleheaders span Thanksgiving weekend from Nov. 27-28 and opens with La Salle vs. Bucknell at 3:30 p.m., then Penn vs. Towson (6 p.m.). The next day, Towson takes on Buffalo (3:30 p.m.), and Penn will face Bucknell (6 p.m.).
“The Penn men’s basketball program is excited to celebrate 100 years of the Palestra with the return of the Cathedral Classic,” Penn coach Fran McCaffery said in a release. “There is no better way to honor our historic arena than with a weekend of great basketball games.”
La Salle coach Darris Nichols added: “We’re grateful for the opportunity to play at the Palestra during its 100th anniversary. Honoring the venue’s legacy was important to us when we first talked about this year’s schedule and we’re excited to take on a good Bucknell team.”
Last season, Hofstra was crowned the tournament’s champion after defeating Penn to finish 3-0 in the round robin. However, for Big 5 fans, the most memorable game was on Day 2, when the Quakers faced La Salle. In that matchup, Penn erased a 15-point deficit to defeat the Explorers, 73-71.