UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State men’s basketball team will face Pittsburgh as part of the inaugural Never Forget Tribute Classic on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The event is a doubleheader featuring 2016 NCAA men’s champion Villanova versus Notre Dame, followed by the Panthers versus the Nittany Lions. The event will partner with the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, which helps support the education of children of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Tickets, which start at $30, can be purchased through ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster outlets, and at Prudential Center’s box office starting Thursday, May 5, at 10 a.m. For more information, visit PruCenter.com/neverforget and follow @PruCenter using #NFTC2016.
“It is an incredible honor for our program to be a part of this inaugural event in helping to honor the families of September 11 victims, especially the Penn State alums who lost their lives in the attacks,” Patrick Chambers, Penn State head coach said. “We also look forward to facing Pitt, as it is always exciting match-up for our fans, and I hope to see many of them at Prudential Center in support of the Never Forget Tribute Classic.”
CBS Sports will serve as the television home of the doubleheader, with Game 1 on CBS at noon, prior to the annual Army-Navy football game, and Game 2 on CBS Sports Network at approximately 2:30 p.m. Both games will be available on CBS Sports Radio.
“We are excited to be a part of this event and to renew our rivalry with Penn State, first-year Pitt head coach Kevin Stallings said. “Dec. 10 will be a great day of basketball and having the ability to help provide opportunities for families impacted by the tragedy of 9/11 will make it even more special. We could not be more honored to be a part of the Never Forget Tribute Classic.”
Established within one week of Sept. 11, 2001, the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund provides education assistance for postsecondary study to financially needy dependents of the people killed or permanently disabled in the terrorist attacks. The Fund has already delivered millions of dollars in scholarship support, and will continue to offer education assistance through the year 2030, ultimately delivering more than $100 million to affected family members.
Intrastate rivals Pitt and Penn State will meet for the 146th time in December, but just the second time since 2005. The two teams last met December 3, 2013, a 78-69 home win for the Panthers. Pitt finished the 2015-16 season 21-12 overall and earned a bid to the NCAA tournament. Head coach Kevin Stallings, in his first season at Pitt, takes control of a program that returns six of its top seven scorers from a year ago. Penn State closed the 2015-16 season with a first round loss in the Big Ten tournament after a regular season highlighted by February upsets over No. 22 Indiana and No. 4 Iowa.