At the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the Virginia Union men’s basketball team will be one of 10 schools invited to play in the seventh annual Hall of Fame Classic, sponsored by Small College Basketball.
The SBC Hall of Fame classic features competition from many of the NCAA’s top Division II conferences, and the Panthers, who finished 24-8 in 2022-23, will represent the CIAA.
The tournament is a two-day event that will take place at the George W. Jenkins Fieldhouse on the campus of Florida Southern College.
Union advanced to the CIAA semifinals before losing to eventual conference champion Winston-Salem State 45-44. The Panthers still earned a spot in the Atlantic Region, defeating Fairmount State 66-64 before losing to Indiana University of Pennsylvania 60-45 in the semifinals.
The Panthers’ first opponent will be FSC on Friday, Nov. 4 at 5:45 p.m. The Moccasins recorded 19 wins during the 2022-23 season but were defeated as the third seed in the Sunshine State Conference quarterfinals 96-88 by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Union also will be featured in the final game of the classic, facing off against Emporia State (Kansas) Saturday, Nov. 5 at 8:30 p.m. The Hornets finished 23-9 in 2023, falling to Minnesota-Duluth 84-79 in the semifinals of the NCAA Central Regional.