CBS Sports will present two HBCU rivalry games in the CBS Sports Classic: HBCU Showcase, a men’s college basketball doubleheader highlighting the HBCU experience. The action begins on Saturday, December 28 with North Carolina A&T hosting North Carolina Central at 2:00 PM, ET and is followed by Howard visiting Hampton at 4:00 PM, ET.
The games, which will be hosted by the teams from the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), will be played on campus – North Carolina A&T’s Corbett Sports Center and the Hampton University Convocation Center – and will capture the passion, tradition and rich history of HBCUs and their fans.
The Hampton-Howard game matches two of the nations’ premier HBCUs. The “Battle of the Real HU” has a long and storied history that dates back to the 1952-53 season. The Pirates lead the series over Howard by a 62-30 margin. Hampton won the last game between the two teams 63-61 last season.
The CBS Sports Classic: HBCU Showcase will be broadcast nationally on the CBS Television Network and streamed live on Paramount+
“As part of CBS Sports’ ongoing commitment to HBCUs, we are excited to provide a national audience for these programs, student-athletes, coaches and fans,” said Dan Weinberg, Executive Vice President, Programming, CBS Sports. “The CBS Sports Classic: HBCU Showcase will highlight two great rivalry games as well as celebrate the HBCU experience and the incredible atmospheres on these campuses.”
“The Hampton-Howard series is one of the great HBCU rivalries in college basketball, with the two teams having faced each other 92 times,” said Hampton Director of Athletics Anthony D. Henderson, Sr. “The fans of both teams always look forward to any time our two schools match up, and having CBS take an interest in nationally broadcasting this game on its primary platform to illustrate the passion and competitiveness of the players and fans will allow an unprecedented audience the opportunity to see the excitement and emotion connected to the game and HBCU basketball.”
“We’re thrilled for our men’s basketball team to play in this exciting event,” said Howard Director of Athletics Kery Davis. “We’re looking forward to renewing our long-time rivalry with Hampton in front of a national audience and we would like to thank CBS Sports for this incredible opportunity for our student-athletes.”
“Like all of the best rivalries, the competition between North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central University is built on our shared respect and admiration for each other,” said Earl M. Hilton III, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, North Carolina A&T. “These two institutions each have a rich and storied history, and both have provided a pathway for so many Black Americans to be successful in every imaginable aspect of public service and private enterprise. Many families in North Carolina and surrounding states celebrate graduates from both universities, making this game truly a family feud. We are excited that CBS Sports will bring this historic rivalry to a national audience.”
“N.C. Central is excited to have the opportunity to showcase its men’s basketball program on national television at the CBS Sports Classic: HBCU Showcase this upcoming holiday season,” said Dr. Louis “Skip” Perkins, Director of Athletics, North Carolina Central. “Fans of NCCU, HBCUs and intense rivalries will be able to enjoy an Eagle-Aggie showdown that has a very significant history and importance on the rich tradition of college basketball in North Carolina when the only two Division I HBCU programs in the state take the court against each other on CBS.”
