ESPN revealed the fields for the 2025 Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational, a 16-team, three bracket event set for Thanksgiving week – Nov. 24 -28 – at Walt Disney World Resort’s State Farm Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Fla. Terry’s Chocolate will be the title sponsor for all three brackets, which will feature 20 total games over five days.
The full 16-team group includes 2025 NCAA Tournament participants BYU, Liberty and UC San Diego. Last season’s NIT participants include Bradley, Dayton and Furman.
The MAGIC BRACKET includes BYU, Dayton, Georgetown and Miami. The semifinals will be played on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, with the championship and consolation games on Friday, Nov. 28.
Field Highlights
- BYU (Big 12) reached its first NCAA Sweet 16 since 2011, posting a 26-10 record under first year head coach Kevin Young. The Cougars finished tied for third in their debut season in the Big 12. BYU welcomes the #1 ranked recruit in ESPN’s Top 100 for the Class of 2025, AJ Dybantsa of Brockton, Mass. (Utah Prep).
- Dayton (Atlantic 10) won the ESPN Events Invitational in 2011 and 2021, and reached the championship game in 2015. The Flyers reached the second round of the 2024 NIT, finishing with a 23-11 record. Dayton graduate Anthony Grant is in his ninth year as head coach.
- Georgetown (Big East) finished with an 18-16 record, its highest win total since 2018-19, under second year coach Ed Cooley. The Hoyas played in the 2008 Old Spice Classic in Kissimmee, winning two of three games. Georgetown has reached the NCAA Tournament 31 times, most recently in 2021.
- Miami (Atlantic Coast) will be led by first time head coach Jai Lucas, who spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Duke. Lucas replaces the Hurricanes’ winningest coach, Jim Larranaga, who led the team to a pair of NCAA Elite Eight appearances and the program’s first Final Four appearance in 2023. Miami last played Thanksgiving weekend in Kissimmee in 2016.
The ADVENTURE BRACKET features Bradley, Liberty, Princeton, Rhode Island, Temple, Towson, UC San Diego and Vermont. The eight teams will each play three games between Monday-Wednesday, Nov. 24-26.
Field Highlights
- Bradley (Missouri Valley) has made three straight post-season appearances under head coach Brian Wardle. The Braves went 28-9 last season, their highest win total since 1984-85, and led the nation in three-point percentage (39.8). Bradley reached the MVC Tournament Championship and the quarterfinals of the NIT.
- Liberty (Conference USA) won the Conference USA regular season and tournament championships in just its second year in the league. Head coach Ritchie McKay and the Flames are one of only four teams in the nation to win 10 or more combined regular season/division titles (6) and conference tournament titles (4) over the last seven years.
- Princeton (Ivy League) is coming off a 19-11 season in which it made the Ivy League Tournament for the seventh time in its eight years of existence. The Tigers have made the post-season in three of the last four years. Head coach Mitch Henderson has 251 wins, second only to legendary Pete Carril (514) in school history.
- Rhode Island (Atlantic 10) finished 18-13 last season, its most wins since 2019-20 (21-9). Head coach Archie Miller, now in his fourth year with the Rams, has four NCAA Tournament appearances including one Elite Eight run.
- Temple (American Athletic) is the sixth winningest program in NCAA history with 2,010 victories all-time. Last season, the Owls returned to winning ways with a 17-15 record and set a school record with 78.8 points scored per game.
- Towson (Coastal Athletic Assn.) has won at least 20 games in a school-record four straight seasons. The Tigers went 16-2 in conference play to win the CAA regular season title, the first outright league championship in school history.
- UC San Diego (Big West) joined NCAA Division I in 2020, and last season reached its first NCAA Tournament, losing to Michigan by just three points in the first round. The Tritons won 15 straight games, culminating in the Big West Tournament championship.
- Vermont (America East) has won at least 20 games in 16 consecutive full seasons, including a 21-12 mark last year. The Catamounts have reached the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four years, and six times in 13 seasons under John Becker, the winningest coach in school history (329-132).
The IMAGINATION BRACKET includes Charlotte, Furman, Illinois State and Richmond. The semifinals will be played on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, with the championship and consolation games on Friday, Nov. 28.
Field Highlights
- Charlotte (American Athletic) picked up its first conference tournament win since 2016, advancing to the second round in its second year in the AAC. Head coach Aaron Fearne was promoted from interim head coach in 2023-24, when he led the 49ers to a 19-12 record and third place in the conference.
- Furman (Southern Conference) has been to the post-season five times in the last 10 years, including an NIT berth in 2024-25. The Paladins went 25-10 and reached the SoCon Tournament championship game. Head coach Bob Richey enters his ninth year having won almost 70 percent of his games (181-81).
- Illinois State (Missouri Valley) won the College Basketball Invitational championship, its first post-season appearance since 2016-17. The Redbirds knocked off Cleveland State, 79-68, in the title game in Daytona Beach, Fla., to finish with a 22-14 record.
- Richmond (Atlantic 10) has made the post-season three of the last five years, including an NCAA Tournament second round appearance in 2022. Head coach Chris Mooney has led the Spiders for 20 seasons, earning Atlantic 10 coach of the year honors in 2024.
“Terry’s Chocolate is thrilled to announce its sponsorship of the ESPN Events Invitational,” said Albane de La Neuville, Category Director for Terry’s Chocolate. “We are delighted to be back for a new early-season Division I college basketball event, as Terry’s Chocolate aims to enhance the fan experience with delicious treats and exciting activities. Players will dunk the ball, fans will slam the Terry’s Chocolate ball open, and everyone will celebrate! As we renew this ESPN and Terry’s Chocolate partnership, we’d like to remind everyone that it really is ‘time to have a blast!’”
This will be the 19th year Walt Disney World has hosts the Thanksgiving week college basketball at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and the first time the event has featured three brackets. All the games will once again be played at State Farm Field House – a venue that has been the site of world-class basketball competitions including NBA games and elite youth tournaments.
Fans can sign up for first access to pre-sale tickets at the ESPN Events Invitational website. Tickets will go on sale later this summer in conjunction with the bracket and schedule releases.
The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is just 21 miles from Orlando International Airport (MCO), which offers nonstop service to over 100 domestic destinations. Traveling fans are encouraged to visit Experience Kissimmee’s website to learn about accommodation options ranging from large resorts to vacation homes. With the world’s largest collection of vacation home rentals, Kissimmee claims the title of Vacation Home Capital of the World®.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2024-25 academic year, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball 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 Terry’s Chocolate
Terry’s Chocolate is more than a chocolate, it’s an experience. Tap it, unwrap it and enjoy it: this ritual has been tempting the United Kingdom since 1926 and has become popular in the U.S. market with several million balls sold each year. This unique and interactive format has made the Terry’s Chocolate a must-have Christmas stocking-stuffer and the perfect token gift all year round. Terry’s, time to have a blast!
About ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, located at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, is the home of Disney Soccer and Disney Spring Training and one of the premier sites for amateur sports in the nation. The complex hosts dozens of events each year and has accommodated 70 different sports featuring athletes from 70 different countries. Designed to provide professional, amateur and youth athletes with experiences synonymous with the names Disney and ESPN, the 220-acre facility features multiple competition venues, including 16 baseball/softball fields; a 9,500-seat stadium; a state-of-the-art indoor arena in addition to two field houses for basketball, volleyball, eSports and other indoor sports; and 17 multi-purpose outdoor fields for soccer, football and field hockey. The complex also contains a professional production center that produces content for the Disney family of networks for global distribution. For more information, visit www.disneysportsnews.com for news releases, photos and videos and www.espnwwos.com for the latest calendar of events.
-30-
Media Coordinator: Charley Green at 214-734-8028 or cgreen@breakaway-sports.com
ESPN: Danny Chi at 213-405-4400 or danny.c.chi@espn.com
-
-
-
-
-
