The All-Military Classic was an annual two-day college basketball tournament hosted at rotating campus sites that featured four military academies – Air Force, Army, The Citadel, and VMI. The tournament was inaugurated in 2011, and was originally broadcast by CBS Sports Network for the semifinal games, though was most recently televised by ESPNU and ESPN3 in 2013. The fourth and final edition of the tournament was hosted and won by Army in 2014.
| Sport | College basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Ceased | 2014 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Country |  United States |
| Venue(s) | Rotating campus sites |
| Most titles | Air Force (2) |
| TV partner(s) | CBS Sports (2011) ESPNU (2013) |
History
editThe tournament began in 2011 and was hosted by the Air Force Academy at the Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[1] The format was a simple four-team single elimination tournament with a third-place consolation game. Air Force won the inaugural tournament, and won the 2012 tournament which was hosted by The Citadel at the McAlister Field House as well. VMI, who played host in 2013, won the title on their home court by defeating Air Force 71–63 in the championship game, which was also the first time Air Force had ever lost in the tournament, going 5–0 in previous games.[2]
The final installment of the tournament took place from November 14–15, 2014 at Army's Christl Arena in West Point, New York. The Black Knights first defeated Air Force and proceeded to win the title by beating VMI 92–86 in the championship game. It was the school's first AMC victory, and Kyle Wilson was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player with 44 total points in the two games.[3] The host school of the tournament would end up winning the title three out of the four years it was played, with The Citadel's loss in 2012 being the only exception.
2011
edit- Host: Air Force – Clune Arena, Colorado Springs, CO
| Semifinals November 11 | Championship Game November 12 | ||||||
| Army | 71 | ||||||
| Air Force | 87 | ||||||
| Air Force | 75 | ||||||
| VMI | 65 | ||||||
| VMI | 103 | ||||||
| The Citadel | 100 | Consolation Game | |||||
| The Citadel | 83 | ||||||
| Army | 72 | ||||||
- All-Tournament Team: Rodney Glasgow (VMI), Ella Ellis (Army), Todd Fletcher (Air Force), Mike Groselle (The Citadel), Keith Gabriel (VMI)
- Tournament MVP: Michael Lyons, Air Force
2012
edit- Host: The Citadel – McAlister Field House, Charleston, SC
| Semifinals November 10 | Championship Game November 11 | ||||||
| Air Force | 76 | ||||||
| Army | 65 | ||||||
| Air Force | 77 | ||||||
| The Citadel | 70 | ||||||
| VMI | 76 | ||||||
| The Citadel | 84 | Consolation Game | |||||
| VMI | 74 | ||||||
| Army | 80 | ||||||
- All-Tournament Team: Stan Okoye (VMI), Ella Ellis (Army), Lawrence Miller (The Citadel), Mike Groselle (The Citadel), Michael Lyons (Air Force)
- Tournament MVP: Michael Lyons, Air Force
2013
edit- Host: VMI – Cameron Hall, Lexington, VA
| Semifinals November 8 | Championship Game November 9 | ||||||
| Army | 68 | ||||||
| Air Force | 79 | ||||||
| Air Force | 63 | ||||||
| VMI | 71 | ||||||
| The Citadel | 71 | ||||||
| VMI | 82 | Consolation Game | |||||
| The Citadel | 69 | ||||||
| Army | 84 | ||||||
- All-Tournament Team: Rodney Glasgow (VMI), Kyle Wilson (Army), Brian White (The Citadel), QJ Peterson (VMI), Tre Coggins (Air Force)
- Tournament MVP: QJ Peterson, VMI
2014
edit- Host: Army – Christl Arena, West Point, New York[6]
| Semifinals November 14 | Championship Game November 15 | ||||||
| The Citadel | 65 | ||||||
| VMI | 66 | ||||||
| VMI | 86 | ||||||
| Army | 92 | ||||||
| Air Force | 78 | ||||||
| Army | 84 | Consolation Game | |||||
| The Citadel | 55 | ||||||
| Air Force | 68 | ||||||
- All-Tournament Team: Kyle Wilson (Army), Tanner Plomb (Army), QJ Peterson (VMI), Max Yon (Air Force), Ashton Moore (The Citadel)
- Tournament MVP: Kyle Wilson, Army
Final records
edit| Rank | Team | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Air Force | 6–2 | .750 |
| 2 | VMI | 4–4 | .500 |
| Army | 4–4 | .500 | |
| 4 | The Citadel | 2–6 | .250 |
Standings history
edit| Year | First | Second | Third | Fourth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Air Force | VMI | The Citadel | Army |
| 2012 | Air Force | The Citadel | Army | VMI |
| 2013 | VMI | Air Force | Army | The Citadel |
| 2014 | Army | VMI | Air Force | The Citadel |
References
edit- ^ "Air Force men's hoops excited to host first All-Military Classic." The Gazette. November 9, 2011.
- ^ "Keydets Capture All-Military Classic, Beat Air Force 71-63."
- ^ "VMI Keydets vs. Army Black Knights – Recap – November 15, 2014". ESPN. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ a b All-Military Classic Tournament Central
- ^ 2013–14 All-Military Classic
- ^ "Army announces men's basketball schedule for 2014–15". Times Herald-Record. Middletown, Orange County, New York. June 25, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.