# BB&T Classic

The BB&T Classic, originally the Franklin National Bank Classic, was a Washington, D.C.–based college basketball event held annually from 1995 to 2017. It raised funds for the Children's Charities Foundation, a fund-raising organization that financially supports Washington, D.C.–area charities, and was staged on or around the first weekend in December. Its name changed in 1999 after BB&T acquired Franklin National Bank that year. Played as a tournament with championship and consolation games from 1995 to 2004, the BB&T Classic was a non-tournament showcase event from 2005 to 2017. A decreasing ability to attract marquee teams and declining fan interest and television coverage led to its demise after the 2017 edition.

## Founding

Former ambassador and vice-presidential press secretary Peter Teeley and Washington, D.C.-area sportswriter and author John Feinstein organized the Classic in 1995, hoping to raise US$500,000 for the Children's Charities Foundation in the Classic's first year. Abe Pollin, owner of USAir Arena in Landover, Maryland, agreed to host the Classic there, with an initial commitment of three years. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the BB&T Classic was a legitimate tournament with national attention that attracted powerhouse teams.

## Venue

The BB&T Classic originally took place at USAir Arena, later known as USAirways Arena, in Landover, Maryland. After the MCI Center, later known as the Verizon Center and then as Capital One Arena, opened in downtown Washington, D.C., in 1997, the Classic moved there. The event remained there for the rest of its existence.

## Format
### Tournament, 1995–2004

Originally, the event lasted two days and featured four teams, highlighted by local mainstays Maryland and George Washington, accompanied by two nationally recognized programs. The first day consisted of a doubleheader pitting each of the local teams against one of the national teams. The following afternoon, a championship game was held between the two opening-round winners. A consolation game between the two teams who lost in the opening round also took place.

### Showcase event, 2005–2017

In 2005, the BB&T Classic's format was altered due to a declining ability to attract nationally renowned programs, partly because under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules participating teams had to give up two home games in their schedule in order to participate in the tournament. The Classic transformed in 2005 from a tournament into a tripleheader showcase played as a single-evening weeknight event. In 2008 and 2009, it was played as a doubleheader. It returned to the tripleheader format in 2010, but from 2011 through 2014 it was a doubleheader. In 2015, the format again changed, with the Classic consisting of a single game. In 2016 and 2017, the Classic returned to a doubleheader format.

## Television coverage

In its early years, the event was broadcast both nationally on ABC and locally on Washington, D.C.'s WDCA. After the Classic changed from a tournament to a showcase event, broadcast television interest in covering it waned, and coverage migrated to cable television. The 2005 and 2006 editions were shown on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic; in later years the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) televised the BB&T Classic. In 2014, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN3 each carried one game. CBS Sports Network televised the lone game played in 2015. In both 2016 and 2017 Fox Sports 1 televised the Georgetown game, while CBS Sports Network carried the George Washington game in 2016 and MASN televised it in 2017.

## Demise

In 2006, the NCAA changed its scheduling rules, allowing colleges to play up to four games in an "exempt" tournament (an in-season tournament whose games counted as only one game in a team′s 27-game schedule) every season, rather than in only two "exempt" tournaments every four years. This made "exempt" tournaments far more popular for major college basketball programs and led to a proliferation of such tournaments. "Non-exempt" events like the BB&T Classic had difficulty attracting major teams in the new scheduling environment because participating schools not only had to give up a home game (and the revenue it generated) to take part in the Classic, but also could not play as many games overall as they could if they played in an exempt tournament. By 2011, with few marquee teams participating, attendance had dwindled dramatically at the Classic, raising doubts about its ability to survive.
The hope of Feinstein and others that the BB&T Classic would serve as showcase for competition among major Washington, D.C.-area college basketball programs was never realized, partly due to cool relations between the local teams and Feinstein's own public criticism of Georgetown for not taking part. The only area team other than George Washington and Maryland to take part in a BB&T Classic tournament was George Mason in 2004 (the tournament format's final year); after that, the Patriots made four showcase-event appearances between 2005 and 2013 before their participation came to and end. Navy made four showcase appearances, all between 2005 and 2010, while American played only in two showcase years and Howard in only one. The closest the BB&T Classic ever came to fulfilling Feinstein's vision of showcasing Washington-area teams was in 2005, the first showcase year, when an all-local lineup of American, George Mason, George Washington, Howard, Maryland, and Navy took part.
Interest in play by the tournament's two stalwarts, Maryland and George Washington, eventually waned. Maryland played in the first 19 BB&T Classic events, but made its last appearance in 2013 – Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon citing a lack of national television coverage, ever-shrinking crowds, and the loss of a home game as reasons for his team to end its relationship with the Classic – leaving George Washington as the only team to play in all 20 BB&T Classics through 2014. By 2014, Feinstein's association with the Classic had come to an end, and with him no longer involved relations between the Classic and Georgetown warmed; that year Georgetown made its first appearance, allowing the Classic to continue to field two major local teams, and the Hoyas took part in the final four editions of the BB&T Classic. However, George Washington did not participate in 2015, leaving Georgetown as the only local participant in what turned out to be a single-game version of the Classic that year. George Washington returned to the Classic in 2016 but then announced that 2017 was its final year of participation.
The final edition of the BB&T Classic took place on December 3, 2017, with a doubleheader in which George Washington defeated Temple and Georgetown beat Coppin State at Capital One Arena before a crowd of only 6,335 for the two games combined. The Classic was quietly discontinued, with little apparent notice of its demise by the press or fans. During its 23-season run, it raised over US$10 million for the Children's Charities Foundation.

## Yearly champions, runners-up, and MVPs

| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Consolation Winner | 4th Place | Tournament MVP |
| 1995 | UMass | Florida | Maryland | George Washington | Marcus Camby, UMass |
| 1996 | Maryland | George Washington | California | Mississippi State | Keith Booth, Maryland |
| 1997 | George Washington | Maryland | Kansas | Penn | Shawnta Rogers, George Washington |
| 1998 | Maryland | DePaul | Stanford | George Washington | Steve Francis, Maryland |
| 1999 | George Washington | Maryland | Illinois | Seton Hall | SirValiant Brown, George Washington |
| 2000 | Maryland | George Washington | St. John's | Michigan | SirValiant Brown, George Washington |
| 2001 | Maryland | Connecticut | George Washington | Princeton | Lonny Baxter, Maryland |
| 2002 | Notre Dame | Texas | Maryland | George Washington | T. J. Ford, Texas |
| 2003 | Gonzaga | George Washington | West Virginia | Maryland | Ronny Turiaf, Gonzaga |
| 2004 | George Washington | Maryland | Michigan State | George Mason | TJ Thompson, George Washington |
| Showcase Format ||||||
| Date | Game One | Game Two | Game Three |
| 12/5/2005 | Navy 82 Howard 73 | George Mason 75 American 35 | George Washington 78 Maryland 70 | | |
| 12/3/2006 | Bucknell 60 George Mason 57 | George Washington 63 Virginia Tech 62 | Notre Dame 81 Maryland 74 | | |
| 12/2/2007 | Auburn 74 George Washington 70 | East Carolina 68 George Mason 65 | VCU 85 Maryland 76 | | |
| 12/7/2008 | Virginia Tech 79 Navy 70 | Maryland 76 George Washington 53 | None | | |
| 12/6/2009 | George Washington 81 Navy 69 | Villanova 95 Maryland 86 | None | | |
| 12/5/2010 | Florida 67 American 48 | Navy 64 George Washington 57 | Temple 64 Maryland 61 | | |
| 12/4/2011 | Maryland 78 Notre Dame 71 | VCU 75 George Washington 60 | None | | |
| 12/2/2012 | Maryland 69 George Mason 62 | George Washington 67 Manhattan 55 | None | | |
| 12/8/2013 | Oklahoma 81 George Mason 66 | George Washington 77 Maryland 75 | None | | |
| 12/7/2014 | Georgetown 78 Towson 46 | George Washington 78 Charlotte 70 | None | | |
| 12/12/2015 | Georgetown 87 UNC Wilmington 82 | None | None | | |
| 12/4/2016 | Georgetown 77 Elon 74 | Florida State 67 George Washington 48 | None | | |
| 12/3/2017 | George Washington 71 Temple 67 | Georgetown 76 Coppin State 60 | None | | |

### Results by school

| Team | Appearance Years | Tournament Record | Tournament Championships | Showcase Record | Overall Record |
| American | 2005, 2010 | — | — | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| Auburn | 2007 | — | — | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Bucknell | 2006 | — | — | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| California | 1996 | 1–1 | none | — | 1–1 |
| Charlotte | 2014 | — | — | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Connecticut | 2001 | 1–1 | none | — | 1–1 |
| Coppin State | 2017 | — | — | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| DePaul | 1998 | 1–1 | none | — | 1–1 |
| East Carolina | 2007 | — | – | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Elon | 2016 | — | — | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Florida | 1995, 2010 | 1–1 | none | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Florida State | 2016 | — | — | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| George Mason | 2004–2007, 2012, 2013 | 0–2 | none | 1–4 | 1–6 |
| George Washington | 1995–2014, 2016, 2017 | 10–10 | 1997, 1999, 2004 | 7–5 | 17–15 |
| Georgetown | 2014–2017 | — | — | 4–0 | 4–0 |
| Gonzaga | 2003 | 2–0 | 2003 | — | 2–0 |
| Howard | 2005 | — | — | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Illinois | 1999 | 1–1 | none | — | 1–1 |
| Kansas | 1997 | 1–1 | none | — | 1–1 |
| Manhattan | 2012 | — | — | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Maryland | 1995–2013 | 13–7 | 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 | 3–6 | 16–13 |
| Michigan | 2000 | 0–2 | — | — | 0–2 |
| Michigan State | 2004 | 1–1 | none | — | 1–1 |
| Mississippi State | 1996 | 0–2 | none | — | 0–2 |
| Navy | 2005, 2008–2010 | — | — | 2–2 | 2–2 |
| UNC Wilmington | 2015 | — | — | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Notre Dame | 2002, 2006, 2011 | 2–0 | 2002 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| Oklahoma | 2013 | — | — | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Penn | 1997 | 0–2 | none | — | 0–2 |
| Princeton | 2001 | 0–2 | none | — | 0–2 |
| Seton Hall | 1999 | 0–2 | none | — | 0–2 |
| St. John's | 2000 | 1–1 | none | — | 1–1 |
| Stanford | 1998 | 1–1 | none | — | 1–1 |
| Temple | 2010, 2017 | — | — | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Texas | 2002 | 1–1 | none | — | 1–1 |
| Towson | 2014 | — | — | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| UMass | 1995 | 2–0 | 1995 | — | 2–0 |
| VCU | 2007, 2011 | — | — | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Villanova | 2009 | — | — | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Virginia Tech | 2006, 2008 | — | — | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| West Virginia | 2003 | 1–1 | none | — | 1–1 |

## Brackets

* – Denotes overtime period

### 1995

| Semifinals December 2 | Semifinals December 2 | Semifinals December 2 | Championship December 3 | Championship December 3 | Championship December 3 |
| 5 | UMass | 50 | | | |
| 19 | Maryland | 47 | | | |
| 19 | Maryland | 47 | 5 | UMass | 80 |
| | | | | Florida | 58 |
| Florida | Florida | 75 | | Florida | 58 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 66 | Third Place Game December 3 | Third Place Game December 3 | Third Place Game December 3 |
| | | | 19 | Maryland | 98 |
| | | | | George Washington | 81 |

### 1996

| Semifinals December 8 | Semifinals December 8 | Semifinals December 8 | Championship December 9 | Championship December 9 | Championship December 9 |
| Maryland | Maryland | 80 | | | |
| California | California | 64 | | | |
| California | California | 64 | Maryland | Maryland | 74 |
| | | | George Washington | George Washington | 68 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 57 | George Washington | George Washington | 68 |
| Mississippi State | Mississippi State | 36 | Third Place Game December 9 | Third Place Game December 9 | Third Place Game December 9 |
| | | | California | California | 78 |
| | | | Mississippi State | Mississippi State | 45 |

### 1997

| Semifinals December 7 | Semifinals December 7 | Semifinals December 7 | Championship December 8 | Championship December 8 | Championship December 8 |
| 2 | Kansas | 83 | | | |
| 23 | Maryland | 86 | | | |
| 23 | Maryland | 86 | 23 | Maryland | 66 |
| | | | | George Washington | 70 |
| Penn | Penn | 62 | | George Washington | 70 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 66 | Third Place Game December 8 | Third Place Game December 8 | Third Place Game December 8 |
| | | | 2 | Kansas | 89 |
| | | | | Penn | 71 |

### 1998

| Semifinals December 6 | Semifinals December 6 | Semifinals December 6 | Championship December 7 | Championship December 7 | Championship December 7 |
| 5 | Stanford | 60 | | | |
| 2 | Maryland | 62 | | | |
| 2 | Maryland | 62 | 2 | Maryland | 92 |
| | | | | DePaul | 75 |
| DePaul | DePaul | 87 | | DePaul | 75 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 79 | Third Place Game December 7 | Third Place Game December 7 | Third Place Game December 7 |
| | | | 5 | Stanford | 70 |
| | | | | George Washington | 56 |

### 1999

| Semifinals December 4 | Semifinals December 4 | Semifinals December 4 | Championship December 5 | Championship December 5 | Championship December 5 |
| Seton Hall | Seton Hall | 63 | | | |
| George Washington | George Washington | 72 | | | |
| George Washington | George Washington | 72 | George Washington | George Washington | 74 |
| | | | Maryland | Maryland | 69 |
| 16 | Illinois | 67 | Maryland | Maryland | 69 |
| | Maryland | 69 | Third Place Game December 5 | Third Place Game December 5 | Third Place Game December 5 |
| | | | | Seton Hall | 61 |
| | | | 16 | Illinois | 72 |

### 2000

| Semifinals 12/2/1995 | Semifinals 12/2/1995 | Semifinals 12/2/1995 | Championship 12/3/1995 | Championship 12/3/1995 | Championship 12/3/1995 |
| | Michigan | 51 | | | |
| 13 | Maryland | 82 | | | |
| 13 | Maryland | 82 | 13 | Maryland | 71 |
| | | | | George Washington | 63 |
| 19 | St. John's | 75 | | George Washington | 63 |
| | George Washington | 85 | Third Place Game 12/3/1995 | Third Place Game 12/3/1995 | Third Place Game 12/3/1995 |
| | | | | Michigan | 83 |
| | | | 19 | St. John's | 97 |

### 2001

| Semifinals December 2 | Semifinals December 2 | Semifinals December 2 | Championship December 3 | Championship December 3 | Championship December 3 |
| 5 | Connecticut | 84 | | | |
| | George Washington | 76 | | | |
| | George Washington | 76 | | Connecticut | 65 |
| | | | 2 | Maryland | 77 |
| | Princeton | 53 | 2 | Maryland | 77 |
| 2 | Maryland | 61 | Third Place Game December 3 | Third Place Game December 3 | Third Place Game December 3 |
| | | | George Washington | George Washington | 60 |
| | | | Princeton | Princeton | 57 |

### 2002

| Semifinals December 7 | Semifinals December 7 | Semifinals December 7 | Championship December 8 | Championship December 8 | Championship December 8 |
| 2 | Texas | 100 | | | |
| | George Washington | 92 | | | |
| | George Washington | 92 | 2 | Texas | 92 |
| | | | | Notre Dame | 98 |
| | Notre Dame | 79 | | Notre Dame | 98 |
| 9 | Maryland | 67 | Third Place Game December 8 | Third Place Game December 8 | Third Place Game December 8 |
| | | | | George Washington | 82 |
| | | | 9 | Maryland | 93 |

### 2003

| Semifinals December 6 | Semifinals December 6 | Semifinals December 6 | Championship December 7 | Championship December 7 | Championship December 7 |
| West Virginia | West Virginia | 64 | | | |
| George Washington | George Washington | 70 | | | |
| George Washington | George Washington | 70 | | George Washington | 91 |
| | | | 17 | Gonzaga | 96 |
| 17 | Gonzaga | 82 | 17 | Gonzaga | 96 |
| | Maryland | 68 | Third Place Game December 7 | Third Place Game December 7 | Third Place Game December 7 |
| | | | West Virginia | West Virginia | 78 |
| | | | Maryland | Maryland | 77 |

### 2004

| Semifinals December 4 | Semifinals December 4 | Semifinals December 4 | Championship December 5 | Championship December 5 | Championship December 5 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 83 | | | |
| | George Washington | 96 | | | |
| | George Washington | 96 | George Washington | George Washington | 101 |
| | | | Maryland | Maryland | 92 |
| George Mason | George Mason | 54 | Maryland | Maryland | 92 |
| Maryland | Maryland | 78 | Third Place Game December 5 | Third Place Game December 5 | Third Place Game December 5 |
| | | | 11 | Michigan State | 66 |
| | | | | George Mason | 60 |

### 2005

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 5 | December 5 | December 5 |
| Howard | Howard | 73 |
| Navy | Navy | 82 |
| December 5 | December 5 | December 5 |
| American | American | 35 |
| George Mason | George Mason | 75 |
| December 5 | December 5 | December 5 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 78 |
| Maryland | Maryland | 70 |

### 2006

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 3 | December 3 | December 3 |
| George Mason | George Mason | 57 |
| Bucknell | Bucknell | 60 |
| December 3 | December 3 | December 3 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 63 |
| Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | 62 |
| December 3 | December 3 | December 3 |
| Maryland | Maryland | 74 |
| Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 81 |

### 2007

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 2 | December 2 | December 2 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 70 |
| Auburn | Auburn | 74 |
| December 2 | December 2 | December 2 |
| George Mason | George Mason | 65 |
| East Carolina | East Carolina | 68 |
| December 2 | December 2 | December 2 |
| Maryland | Maryland | 76 |
| VCU | VCU | 85 |

### 2008

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 7 | December 7 | December 7 |
| Navy | Navy | 70 |
| Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | 79 |
| December 7 | December 7 | December 7 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 53 |
| Maryland | Maryland | 76 |

### 2009

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 6 | December 6 | December 6 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 81 |
| Navy | Navy | 69 |
| December 6 | December 6 | December 6 |
| Maryland 86 | Maryland 86 | 86 |
| Villanova | Villanova | 95 |

### 2010

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 5 | December 5 | December 5 |
| American | American | 48 |
| Florida | Florida | 67 |
| December 5 | December 5 | December 5 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 57 |
| Navy | Navy | 62 |
| December 5 | December 5 | December 5 |
| Maryland | Maryland | 61 |
| Temple | Temple | 64 |

### 2011

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 4 | December 4 | December 4 |
| Maryland | Maryland | 78 |
| Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 71 |
| December 4 | December 4 | December 4 |
| VCU | VCU | 75 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 60 |

### 2012

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 2 | December 2 | December 2 |
| Maryland | Maryland | 69 |
| George Mason | George Mason | 62 |
| December 2 | December 2 | December 2 |
| | George Washington | 67 |
| 2 | Manhattan | 55 |

### 2013

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 8 | December 8 | December 8 |
| George Mason | George Mason | 66 |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma | 81 |
| December 8 | December 8 | December 8 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 77 |
| Maryland 75 | Maryland 75 | 75 |

### 2014

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 7 | December 7 | December 7 |
| Georgetown | Georgetown | 78 |
| Towson | Towson | 46 |
| December 7 | December 7 | December 7 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 78 |
| Charlotte | Charlotte | 70 |

### 2015

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 12 | December 12 | December 12 |
| Georgetown | Georgetown | 87 |
| UNC Wilmington | UNC Wilmington | 82 |

### 2016

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 4 | December 4 | December 4 |
| Georgetown | Georgetown | 77 |
| Elon | Elon | 74 |
| December 4 | December 4 | December 4 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 48 |
| Florida State | Florida State | 67 |

### 2017

    Showcase Format – No Tournament
| December 3 | December 3 | December 3 |
| George Washington | George Washington | 67 |
| Temple | Temple | 61 |
| December 3 | December 3 | December 3 |
| Georgetown | Georgetown | 76 |
| Coppin State | Coppin State | 60 |