The Charleston Classic enters its 16th year this Thursday, boasting an impressive list of past champions, including Houston (2023), College of Charleston (2022), St. Bonaventure (2021), and Florida (2020).
This year's tournament field is stacked with talent, featuring three teams that made waves in last season's NCAA tournament: FAU, Nevada, and Drake. Additionally, Seton Hall enters as the reigning National Invitation Tournament champions, while VCU reached the NIT quarterfinals.
Four programs come into the Classic with fresh leadership at the helm, including OSU under Steve Lutz, Drake with Ben McCollum, FAU led by John Jakus, and Vanderbilt under Mark Byington.
Steve Lutz has already proven he knows how to turn programs around, rapidly rebuilding A&M-Corpus Christi (2022, 2023) and Western Kentucky (2024) into NCAA tournament contenders.
Now at OSU, he's sticking to the script with a roster heavy on experienced transfers. Among the returners, graduate guard Bryce Thompson stands out as one of just three Cowboy lettermen back from last year.
The fans can watch the TV broadcast for some Charleston Classic bracket 2024 matches on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. They can also stream the game on ESPN+ and Sling.