Eight years after the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament played its last games at what was then known as First Mariner Arena, the Baltimore facility will host a pair of NCAA Division I men’s basketball games on Nov. 15.
CFG Bank Arena will be the site for one game between Penn State and Virginia Tech and another contest between opponents yet to be disclosed. Brian Cox, the associate athletic director of creative communications at Virginia Tech, confirmed Tuesday morning the involvement of the Hokies and Nittany Lions but declined to identify the other two teams.
“I cannot confirm who the opponents are, but it is an intriguing matchup,” he said.
Chelsea Vielhauer, associate director of strategic communications for Penn State, did not confirm the Nittany Lions’ participation. “Penn State has not finalized its 2024-25 schedule,” she wrote via email.
Greg Procino, vice president of events and partnerships for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which is organizing the two-game event, also declined to get into specifics. “We are working on finalizing these plans and will be ready to announce something in the month of April,” he wrote via email.
CFG Bank Arena recently completed hosting the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association men’s and women’s basketball tournaments for the third consecutive year. The CIAA competes at the Division II level and is the nation’s oldest historically Black athletic conference.
The CIAA announced in June that it had extended its contract to continue holding its tournament in Baltimore through the 2026 season.
Virginia Tech participated in last month’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament at Capital One Arena in Washington and Cox noted the close proximity of Baltimore to Washington, where many Hokies alumni and fans live.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get to play in a prime-time slot at the ACC Tournament when it was in Washington, D.C., last month, but we obviously love being able to play in front of our fans,” he said. “So being able to go to the D.C. area and Baltimore and being able to cater to your fan base that might not be able to come to Blacksburg very often, that’s appealing, and Baltimore definitely checks that box.”
The CAA had operated its men’s tournament from 2014 to 2016 at First Mariner Arena, the former name of CFG Bank Arena. Requests for comment from Frank Remesch, general manager of CFG Bank Arena, were not immediately returned.
Baltimore Fishbowl first reported the news.
This story might be updated.