Wooden Legacy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wooden Legacy

Formerly	Wooden Classic and DirecTV Classic
Sport	College Basketball
Founded	2013
No. of teams	8 (2013–2019) 4 (2020–present)
Most recent champion(s)	BYU
Sponsor(s)	Paycom
Official website	wooden legacy

The Paycom Wooden Legacy is an exciting yearly college basketball tournament for men's teams. It started in 2013 and is named after a famous basketball coach, John Wooden. Coach Wooden led the UCLA Bruins to win 10 national championships between 1964 and 1975. This tournament celebrates his amazing legacy in basketball.

What is the Wooden Legacy?

The Wooden Legacy is a special basketball event held early in the college basketball season. It brings together top college teams to compete in a tournament. The games are often shown on ESPN networks, so fans can watch all the action.

History and How the Tournament Works

The Wooden Legacy began in 2013. It was created by combining two older basketball events: the Wooden Classic and the DirecTV Classic.

Early Tournament Format (2013-2019)

From 2013 to 2019, eight teams played in the Wooden Legacy. It was a three-day tournament with 12 games. The teams competed in a bracket, where winners moved on and losers were eliminated.

• Where games were played:
  • From 2013 to 2016, the first two days of games were at Titan Gym in Fullerton. The final games were played at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
  • From 2017 to 2019, all games took place at Titan Gym.

Newer Tournament Format (2020-Present)

Starting in 2020, the Wooden Legacy changed to a smaller format. It now features four teams playing over two days. All games were planned to be at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim.

• The 2020 tournament was canceled: The COVID-19 pandemic stopped the tournament from happening in 2020.
• New format debut: The four-team, two-day format finally started in 2021. The main games (semifinals and championship) are shown on ESPN2. The game for third place is shown on ESPNU.

Recent Tournament Results

The Wooden Legacy always features exciting games. Here are the champions from the most recent tournaments:

2023 Tournament: BYU Wins

The 2023 tournament was held from November 23-24 in Las Vegas. It was even renamed the Vegas Showdown for that year.

Usage

{{4TeamBracket-with 3rd
| Team-Width = 
| RD1        = 
| RD2        = 
| RD3        = 

| RD1-seed1  = 
| RD1-team1  = 
| RD1-score1 = 
| RD1-seed2  = 
| RD1-team2  = 
| RD1-score2 = 

| RD1-seed3  = 
| RD1-team3  = 
| RD1-score3 = 
| RD1-seed4  = 
| RD1-team4  = 
| RD1-score4 = 

| RD2-seed1  = 
| RD2-team1  = 
| RD2-score1 = 
| RD2-seed2  = 
| RD2-team2  = 
| RD2-score2 = 

| RD3-seed1  = 
| RD3-team1  = 
| RD3-score1 = 
| RD3-seed2  = 
| RD3-team2  = 
| RD3-score2 = 
}}

* – Denotes overtime period

2022 Tournament: Washington is Champion

The 2022 tournament took place on November 23-24. The Washington Huskies won the championship.

2021 Tournament: USC Takes the Title

The 2021 tournament was held on November 25-26. The USC Trojans were the champions that year.

See also

In Spanish: John R. Wooden Classic para niños