Jimmy V Women’s Classic to Feature Two Historic Programs as Notre Dame Faces UConn

The reigning national champion Notre Dame will face the UConn Huskies in the 2018 Jimmy V Women’s Classic presented by Corona on Sunday, Dec. 2. The annual event, now in its 17th year, will be played at 4 p.m. ET, on ESPN from Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind.

This is the fourth Notre Dame will appear in the annual event, while UConn will be playing for the eighth consecutive year and 10th time overall. 2018 marks the fourth meeting between the two historic programs in the Classic.

Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame Head Coach
“It’s an honor to be participating in the Jimmy V Classic. In his famous speech, Jimmy V stated ‘Don’t give up, don’t ever give up,’ and I thought our young women lived by that mantra last season. We appreciate the opportunity to continue to spread Jimmy’s message in the ongoing fight against cancer.”

Geno Auriemma, UConn Head Coach
“Being a part of the Jimmy V Classic is always very special. For several years now, this game has become part of the ESPN college basketball landscape and to be associated with it says something about your program and how it is viewed nationally. More importantly, being a part of the Classic gives us the opportunity to teach this year’s group of players a little about Jimmy, what he stood for and how important the cause of curing cancer is. Playing in this game never gets old.”

Highlights:

• The Classic is a rematch of last year’s Jimmy V Women’s Classic, and also a memorable Women’s Final Four semifinal in which the Fighting Irish defeated the then-undefeated Huskies in overtime, and went to capture the title
• The two teams have met every season since 1996 – UConn leads 36-12
• UConn’s record in Jimmy V Women’s Classic is 8-2 with the Huskies winning five straight and falling twice to North Carolina in 2004 and 2005
• Notre Dame stands at No. 1, while UConn ranks fourth in Charlie Creme’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 Preseason Poll

The early-season event will be part of the 12th annual V Week for Cancer Research – the weeklong initiative across multiple ESPN platforms and programs featuring special content to help raise funds for cancer research. ESPN’s 2017 V Week for Cancer Research raised a record-setting $4.5 million for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Over the past 11 years, V Week has raised $22.2 million for cancer research.

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates the Jimmy V Men’s and Women’s Classics. The men’s event will be played on Tuesday, Dec. 4, from NYC’s famed Madison Square Garden and feature Florida, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and West Virginia.

Previous Jimmy V Women’s Classic Results

About the V Foundation for Cancer Research
The V Foundation for Cancer Research is dedicated to declaring victory over cancer.  It was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, the Foundation has funded more than $200 million in cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of all direct cash donations to cancer research and related programs. Due to generous donors, the Foundation has an endowment that covers administrative expenses.  The Foundation awards peer-reviewed grants through a competitive awards process vetted by a Scientific Advisory Committee.  For more information on the V Foundation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.

ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 32 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 14 college bowl games, 12 college basketball events, a college softball event and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 300-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

Collegiate Football
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (Houston); AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, Fla.); Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Frisco Bowl (Texas); New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff (Montgomery, Ala.); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Atlanta); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta)

Collegiate Basketball

AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Fort Bliss, Texas); Charleston Classic (South Carolina); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic Presented by Corona (South Bend, Ind.); Myrtle Beach Invitational (Conway, S.C.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off; State Farm Champions Classic (Indianapolis) and Wooden Legacy (Fullerton, Calif.)

Collegiate Softball

Elite Softball Invitational (Clearwater, Fla.)

For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

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