Michigan basketball to play in 2020 Empire Classic

The Michigan basketball team will officially play in next season's Empire Classic in New York City.

The Wolverines were rumored to be included in the event in May, but the official announcement came Wednesday in a news release.

The field for the tournament Nov. 19 and 20 will also include current No. 1-ranked Baylor, No. 9 Villanova, and North Carolina State. There are two games hosted at four campus sites before the semifinals and final at Madison Square Garden. The complete field and pairings have not been announced.

The annual event, which benefits the Wounded Warrior Project, started in 1995 and was formerly known at the 2K Classic.

Michigan will compete in the tournament for the third time. In 2008, the Wolverines beat Michigan Tech, Northeastern, and UCLA, before losing to Duke in the final. In 2016, Michigan won the title with wins over Howard, IUPUI, Marquette, and Southern Methodist. Overall, Michigan is 7-1 in the tournament.

Next season, Michigan and its fourth-ranked recruiting class will also play a game in London against Kentucky and travel for a road game at Oregon.