TEMPE, Ariz. – The four-team Cactus Division field for the 2024 Arizona Tip-Off has been announced, bringing together four power conference college basketball programs that combined to average better than 20 wins per game last season.
 
Butler, Mississippi State, Northwestern and UNLV will take part in this year's Arizona Tip-Off, which is set for Nov. 28-29 at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz. The sterling 5,000-seat multipurpose facility, which opened in October 2022, will host the event for the first time. Matchups, game times and television designations will be announced at a later date.
 
All four programs took part in postseason play last year, with Mississippi State and Northwestern earning NCAA berths and Butler and UNLV appearing in the NIT. The Wildcats posted 22 wins a year ago, Mississippi State and UNLV finished with 21 and Butler recorded 18. Mississippi State and Northwestern are competing in the same early season tournament for the second year in a row, with the Bulldogs defeating the Wildcats in the 2023 Hall of Fame Classic championship game.
 
The only way to guarantee tickets to the event is by purchasing an official fan travel package. Travel packages for fans looking to join their favorite team in the Valley of the Sun over Thanksgiving Weekend will be available on July 17 at www.arizonatipoff.com/travel. Packages will include tickets to each Cactus Division game of the tournament and hotel accommodations at one of the Tip-Off's host resorts – the Scottsdale Plaza Resort & Villas and Gila River Resorts & Casino – Wild Horse Pass. Fans can also register to receive regular event updates and additional tournament and ticket news by visiting www.arizonatipoff.com/contact. Ticket packages, based on availability, will be available in the fall.
 
"The collective strength of these programs will make the Arizona Tip-Off one of the more intriguing early season events in college basketball," said Mark Starsiak, vice president of basketball at Intersport, which owns and operates the event. "We established an incredible foundation for this event in its inaugural year, showcased by the highly competitive championship game that featured two NCAA Tournament programs. The expectations are high for each of the participating 2024 programs entering this season and we are excited to bring what should be an ultra-competitive basketball environment to Mullett Arena and The Valley this Thanksgiving."
 
In the event's inaugural year last season, South Carolina defeated Grand Canyon in the Cactus Division championship game. It proved to be an early indication of each team's strength as the Gamecocks won 26 games and finished second in the loaded SEC, while the Lopes won 30 games and claimed the WAC title. Both squads advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
 
To receive the latest email alerts regarding tournament news, ticket information and more, visit our website at www.arizonatipoff.com and follow Intersport Basketball on Twitter (X) and Instagram at @IntersportHoops.
 
About the Teams of the Arizona Tip-Off Cactus Division
 
Butler
- Longtime coach Thad Matta is in his third season with Butler and fourth overall with the program, having previously served as head coach in 2000-01

- Matta boasts 471 wins in 19 seasons as a head coach with Butler, Xavier and Ohio State, carrying an overall winning percentage of .716, which ranks among the top 15 nationally among active coaches

- The Bulldogs have appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments in their history, including a pair of trips to the national championship game, and have won 20 conference championships – 13 regular season and seven tournament titles

- Butler was 18-15 last year and returned to postseason play for the first time since 2018 (the Bulldogs were 22-9 in the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season), and will be the only Big East team to return its top two scorers from last year
 
Mississippi State
- Chris Jans is embarking on his third season as head coach of the Bulldogs, and ninth overall as a head coach, joining the program in 2022 and guiding it to consecutive 21-win campaigns

- With the exception of the COVID-impacted season of 2020-21, Jans has led his teams to 20 or more wins in seven of his eight years as a head coach and five NCAA Tournaments

- The Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 13 times, including each of the last two years, the first time the program has made consecutive berths since 2008 and 2009

- Mississippi State is seeking its third straight early season tournament championship, having won the 2022 Fort Myers Tip-Off and the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, the latter of which coming after defeating Northwestern for the championship
 
Northwestern
- Entering his 12th season as head coach, Chris Collins has established Northwestern as an NCAA-Tournament caliber program since he took over in Evanston in 2013

- Collins has guided Northwestern to its three all-time NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing to the Round of 32 each season (2017, 2023, 2024)

- Northwestern has four 20-win seasons in the last nine years; prior to that stretch, Northwestern had just two 20-win seasons in their entire history

- Last season, the Wildcats were 22-12 and 12-8 in Big Ten play, finishing tied for third in league play and earning a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament for the second straight year
 
UNLV
- Now in his fourth year at his alma mater, Kevin Kruger guided UNLV to 21 victories last year, the most wins since the Rebels won 25 games in 2012-13

- Kruger played under his father, Lon, at UNLV for the 2006-07 season, helping the program to a 30-7 record and a berth in the Sweet 16 while earning MWC Tournament MVP honors

- One of the most iconic programs in college basketball, the Runnin' Rebels have appeared in 20 NCAA Tournaments, advanced to four Final Fours and won the 1990 national title

- The program owns a combined 24 conference championships, 13 regular-season titles and 11 tournament crowns
 
About Intersport
Intersport is an award-winning agency and leader in the creation of ideas, content and experiences that attract and engage passionate audiences. Its industry-leading team offers expert insights in content marketing, customer engagement, experiential marketing, hospitality, production and sponsorship consulting. The Chicago-based agency also owns and operates events across the professional and collegiate sports landscape, including basketball, football, golf, pickleball and volleyball. Intersport has been headquartered in Chicago since its inception in 1985, with additional offices in Boston, Detroit and New York. Learn more at www.intersport.global and on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook).
 
About Mullett Arena
Mullett Arena, opened in October 2022, is the premier 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena located on the Arizona State University, Tempe main campus.  Owned and built in partnership with ASU; Mullett Arena is home to Sun Devil ice hockey, wrestling, women's volleyball and other Athletics programs, as well as NBA G League, the Valley Suns and national touring live entertainment.  Premium VIP spaces, OVG Hospitality food & beverage service, local partners and the Mountain America Credit Union Community Iceplex makes Mullett Arena THE entertainment destination in the desert. Managed by OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, the full-service venue management and event programming company, creating a positive disruption in the industry.
 
About Novus Innovation Corridor
Novus Innovation Corridor is a 355-acre, multi-phased development, which at completion will encompass over 10 million square feet of urban mixed-use development, including State Farm's 2.1-million-square-foot Marina Heights regional hub. Strategically integrated with the ASU campus on Tempe Town Lake, the Novus Innovation Corridor is a partnership between master developer Catellus Development Corporation and Arizona State University, ranked as the nation's "Most Innovative University" by U.S. News and World Report. The University Real Estate Office leads ASU's Novus activities.
 
Novus will encompass approximately 8 million square feet of additional new development in Tempe. Novus will include a variety of sustainable urban neighborhoods that feature commercial office, retail, hospitality and residential activities, creating the potential to bring nearly 34,000 new jobs and 5,000 new residents to the thriving Tempe community. Additionally, Novus features a main street retail district, Novus Place, nestled in the core of the development. As Novus' "live, shop, dine" epicenter, Novus Place is designed to be a vibrant, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly destination.