Grand Canyon basketball fans make noise inside Acrisure Arena.
The Lopes defeated Stanford in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational, with a little help from their fans.
The matchups are locked in and the schedule is set for the 2025 Acrisure Series college basketball Thanksgiving Feast as 20 college basketball teams visit the Coachella Valley for four days to play 18 games of high-end hoops.
Some of the freshly released highlight matchups include Iowa vs. Mississippi, Minnesota vs. Stanford, Washington vs. Nevada and Utah vs. Grand Canyon. The event runs from Tuesday through Friday of Thanksgiving Week with at least four games daily.
The field is a mix of “power” teams as well as top mid-majors, providing several games that will have major impact on the NCAA Tournament field in March. The smaller schools can get a signature win, while the bigger schools can add attractive victories and a tournament title.
“What excites me about this year’s field is that I like the balance,” said Dan Shell, the co-tournament director and president of Total Sports Consulting. “I’m looking at an exciting team like Grand Canyon playing in a pod with three high majors. I’m looking at a Washington team that I think will be loaded. So many teams that are one big win from making the NCAA Tournament will be in position to get that important win here. Not just a few, but multiple games that could end up being that team’s Super Bowl. I think that energy will be exciting.”
Tickets for the Acrisure Series go on sale at 10 a.m., Friday, July 25. And one of the signature parts of this event, compared to other college basketball in-season tournaments, is that one ticket gets you in to all (four or five) games that day.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 Acrisure Series including the teams involved, the matchups, the schedule, TV information and more.
Just the facts
What: The Acrisure Series, a four-day basketball tournament featuring 20 Division I college basketball teams.
Where: Acrisure Arena, an 11,000-seat in Palm Desert, California, part of the greater Palm Springs area. The arena is home to an AHL hockey team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
When: Nov. 25-Nov. 28. There will be five games per day on Nov. 25-26, and four games per day Nov. 27-28.
Television: Fifteen of the 18 games will be on national TV. The first three days will be televised on CBS Sports Network, and the final day on TruTV.
The teams
The field: Iowa, Mississippi, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Minnesota, Stanford, Grand Canyon, San Jose State, Northern Iowa, Tulsa, Loyola-Chicago, Nevada, San Francisco, Saint Louis, Santa Clara, Cal Baptist, San Diego, Fresno State, Pepperdine.
The format
Sixteen of the 20 teams will be split into four-team pods that will yield four champions in four mini-tournaments. There will also be two single-game matchups.
Acrisure Classic pod: Iowa, Mississippi, Utah, Grand CanyonAcrisure Holiday Invitational pod: San Jose State, Northern Iowa, Tulsa, Loyola-ChicagoAcrisure Holiday Classic pod: Washington, Colorado, Nevada, San FranciscoAcrisure Invitational pod: Stanford, Minnesota, Saint Louis, Santa ClaraAnd there will be two single-game showcases: Cal Baptist will face San Diego, Fresno State will face Pepperdine.The schedule and matchups
(All times Pacific)
TUESDAY NOV. 25 GAMES
10:30 a.m.: San Jose State vs. Tulsa1 p.m.: Northern Iowa vs. Loyola Chicago3:30 p.m.: Cal Baptist vs. San Diego6:30 p.m.: Iowa vs. Ole Miss (CBSSN)9 p.m.: Grand Canyon vs. Utah (CBSSN)
WEDNESDAY NOV. 26 GAMES
11 a.m.: San Jose State-Tulsa loser vs. Northern Iowa-Loyola loser (CBSSN)1:30 p.m. – Championship: San Jose State-Tulsa winner vs. Northern Iowa-Loyola winner (CBSSN)4 p.m.: Fresno State vs. Pepperdine (CBSSN)6:30 p.m. – Championship: Iowa-Ole Miss winner vs. Grand Canyon-Utah winner (CBSSN)9 p.m.: Iowa-Ole Miss loser vs. Grand Canyon-Utah loser (CBSSN)
THURSDAY NOV. 27 GAMES
11 a.m.: Colorado vs. San Francisco (CBSSN)1:30 p.m.: Washington vs. Nevada (CBSSN)4 p.m.: Saint Louis vs. Santa Clara (CBSSN)6:30 p.m.: Minnesota vs. Stanford (CBSSN)
FRIDAY NOV. 28 GAMES
11 a.m.: Colorado-San Francisco loser vs. Washington-Nevada loser (TruTV)1:30 p.m. – Championship: Colorado-San Francisco winner vs. Washington-Nevada winner (TruTV)4 p.m. – Championship: Saint Louis-Santa Clara winner vs. Minnesota-Stanford winner (TruTV)6:30 p.m.: Saint Louis-Santa Clara loser vs. Minnesota-Stanford loser (TruTV)
Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Have a question for him about the Acrisure Series? Shoot him a message at shad.powers@desertsun.com.