North Carolina Central vs. North Carolina A&T, Howard vs. Hampton set for CBS Sports Classic: HBCU Showcase

CBS Sports on Monday announced it will present two HBCU rivalry games in the CBS Sports Classic: HBCU Showcase this season. The men’s college basketball doubleheader will take place on Dec. 28 with North Carolina A&T facing North Carolina Central at 2 p.m. ET followed by Hampton taking on Howard at 4 p.m. ET.

The games will be played on the college campuses of North Carolina A&T and Hampton, with the Corbett Sports Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Hampton University Convocation Center in Hampton, Virginia, respectively, serving as the venues. 

Both games 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 of Programming at 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.”

Both Howard and North Carolina Central play in the MEAC, while Hampton and North Carolina A&T belong to the CAA.

“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 North Carolina A&T athletic director Earl M. Hilton III. “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.”

“NC 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 North Carolina Central athletic director Dr. Louis “Skip” Perkins. “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.”

“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 athletic director 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 athletic director 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.”