Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena to host Virginia vs. Villanova men’s basketball as part of Hall of Fame Series

Baltimore will be treated to two NCAA Division I men’s basketball games this fall.

Virginia vs. Villanova and Penn State vs. Virginia Tech are set to play a doubleheader at downtown CFG Bank Arena on Friday, Nov. 15 as part of the 2024 Hall of Fame Series. Tickets go on sale Wednesday at 10 a.m. at HOFSeries.com.

The matchup between Virginia and Villanova marks the historic programs’ first meeting since the Wildcats won the NCAA Tournament final, 61-59, on Jan. 29, 2017, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as Donte DiVincenzo scored a putback layup at the buzzer. Villanova will be playing in Baltimore for the first time since meeting Loyola Maryland on Dec. 3, 1983, while Virginia has not appeared in Baltimore since taking on the Greyhounds on Dec. 30, 1998.

The Cavaliers finished 23-11 last season and lost, 67-42, to Colorado State in the NCAA Tournament First Four. Villanova went 18-16, including an early-season win over Maryland, and missed the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season under coach Kyle Neptune after reaching the Final Four in Jay Wright’s last year as coach in 2021-22.

“The game will challenge our team early in the season and provide our fans in the Mid-Atlantic region an opportunity to see us play in a historic arena,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said in a statement.

The game between Penn State and Virginia Tech is a rematch of the Hokies’ 61-59 win in the semifinals of the Charleston Classic on Nov. 18, 2022. It will be Virginia Tech’s first trip to Baltimore since taking on Loyola on Nov. 26, 1949, while Penn State is back in Charm City for the first time since playing the Greyhounds on Nov. 24, 1997. Virginia Tech holds a 7-4 advantage in the all-time series, but the Nittany Lions have won three of the past four meetings.

It will be a homecoming for Penn State point guard Ace Baldwin, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and former St. Frances star who was named The Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro boys basketball Player of the Year in 2018-19.

“We’re excited to connect not only with our Penn State alumni in the DMV area but the very passionate basketball fan base in Baltimore,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said.

The 14,000-seat CFG Bank Arena, which last year finished an 11-month, $250 million renovation, recently hosted 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 2026.