SALT LAKE CITY — Vivint Arena will host college basketball doubleheaders involving BYU, Utah, Utah State and Weber State for three years, starting in December 2017.
The Zions Bank Beehive Classic will have those men's basketball teams play each other once in a round-robin format over the course of the three years, the Vivint Arena staff announced Thursday morning.
Both games will be sold under the same ticket. Each school involved will be alloted 4,500 tickets, adding up to 18,000 of the arena's 19,911 capacity. School bands and cheerleaders will be invited, as well, the news release stated.
Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment president Steve Sparks called the Zions Bank Beehive Classic a celebration of basketball and community.
“Our organization is thrilled to bring these four great schools, and their fans, together at Vivint Smart Home Arena for an annual one-day doubleheader,” he said in the official announcement.
Last season all six Division I men's basketball teams played on the same night, although the school's athletic directors did not coordinate and they were played in three separate arenas.
The Beehive Classic does not include Southern Utah or Utah Valley, the state's other Division I programs. Historically, the Cougars, Utes, Aggies and Wildcats have been the best men's basketball programs in the state.
A press conference featuring the athletic directors is scheduled for the downtown Salt Lake City arena Thursday afternoon. However, all of the schools have already released announcements.
“I would like to thank the Larry H. Miller group for helping facilitate the Beehive Classic,” said Utah director of athletics Dr. Chris Hill. “I am excited about bringing in four state teams to participate in this neutral site event. This will be a great event for the fans of our state.”
Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said that he supported the decision to schedule the event as well as did other representatives.
“We are excited to participate in the Beehive Classic,” said USU athletics director John Hartwell. “It is a tremendous way to promote college basketball in our basketball-crazed state. It will be a tremendous addition to our schedule here at Utah State. The opportunity for our mens basketball student-athletes to compete on this stage, and for our fans to attend it, will be a great experience.”
At Weber State, athletics director Jerry Bovee and head coach Randy Rahe voiced their approval.
“This is really exciting for us to be a part of the Beehive Classic. There is a rich history of college basketball in the state of Utah and our fans and alumni always look forward to playing teams from the state,” Bovee said. “This showcase will give college basketball fans a chance to see a doubleheader each season, plus we expect to continue a home-and-home series with BYU and Utah State, and well get Utah back on the schedule through this showcase. This will be a great event for Weber State fans and fans of college basketball in the state.”
Rahe noted the importance of playing in-state games.
“This will be a great opportunity for our program to face a quality in-state opponent each season in an NBA arena,” he said. “The in-state games are always exciting for our team and our fans and we look forward to this new showcase.”
Here's the announced schedule:
2017
Saturday, Dec. 9
BYU vs. Weber State
Utah State vs. Utah
2018
Saturday, Dec. 8
Utah State vs. Weber State
Utah vs. BYU
2019
Saturday, Dec. 14
Weber State vs. Utah
BYU vs. Utah State