• Texas vs. Duke Tips Off Inaugural Event at Spectrum Center
• Annual Event Will Honor One of the Sport’s Most Iconic Voices and Ambassadors

The 2025-26 men’s college basketball season tips off this week with the inaugural ESPN Events Dick Vitale Invitational Presented by Belk, featuring national powers Texas and No. 6 Duke. The new, annual event will honor Dick Vitale, one of the sport’s most iconic voices and ambassadors.

In collaboration with the Charlotte Sports Foundation, the event will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 8:45 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

The commentator team includes Dave O’Brien, Jay Bilas, Dick Vitale and Kris Budden.

About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, two college volleyball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

About Charlotte Sports Foundation
The mission of the Charlotte Sports Foundation (CSF), a 501(c)(3), is to provide leadership for sports-based initiatives that result in a positive impact on the economy and quality of life in the Charlotte region. CSF was created in the spring of 2013 as a combined entity of Charlotte’s two primary sports development groups, Charlotte Collegiate Football and the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission. Its origins can be traced to the vision of Charlotte civic leaders after the very successful hosting of the 1994 NCAA Men’s Final Four.

The Foundation also provides support for recruitment and operation of other local sporting events, and spearheads Charlotte’s continued growth as a preferred host for premier national and regional sporting events. The events include the Ally Tipoff, college football’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl, ACC Football Championship Game and Duke’s Mayo Classic, and the Meck Mile presented by Albemarle.

The Board of Directors that guides the Charlotte Sports Foundation boasts a dynamic roster of top Charlotte civic and business leaders. Please visit www.CharlotteSports.org for more information.

-30-

Media Contacts:

ESPN
Danny Chi, 213-405-4400, [email protected]
Andrea DiCristoforo, 213-405-4612, [email protected]
Colin Bradley, 860-490-3748, [email protected]

Charlotte Sports Foundation
Miller Yoho, 704-860-3499, [email protected]