The Cancun Challenge (Spanish: Desafío Cancún) is a college basketball tournament organized by Triple Crown Sports which currently features eight NCAA Division I men's basketball teams and ten women's basketball teams. The formats of the men's and women's tournaments have varied from year to year. The men's tournament currently splits the eight teams into two divisions of four and consists of games played in the United States at participants' campus sites followed by a bracketed tournament played in (or near) Cancún, Mexico. The women's tournament splits the ten teams into one division of six and one division of four and each features round-robin play in Cancún with no bracket, and therefore no champion. The two divisions in each tournament are the Riviera Division and the Mayan Division.
 Cancun Challenge Logo | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | College Basketball |
| Location | United States (campus sites) Mexico (Riviera Maya) |
| Month played | November |
| Established | 2005 (Women's) 2008 (Men's) |
| Format | MTE |
| Teams | 10 (Women's) 8 (Men's) |
| Current champion | |
| James Madison (Men's Riviera Division) Radford (Men's Mayan Division) | |
The Mexico portion of the event has been held at multiple venues in and around Cancún. The inaugural 2005 tournament was relocated from the Moon Palace Resort to the Aventura Spa Palace Resort in Playa del Carmen shortly before it was scheduled to occur due to damage sustained at the original location from Hurricane Wilma.[1] The tournament was held at one of these two sites each year up until 2014, when it would be moved to the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, where it has been held since. CBS Sports Network televises the men's Riviera Division games. All Mexico games in the men's Mayan Division along with all women's games are streamed on FloHoops.
Previous men's champions include Vanderbilt (2008), Kentucky (2009), Missouri (2010), Illinois (2011), Wichita State (2012), Wisconsin (2013), Northern Iowa (2014), Maryland (2015), Purdue (2016), LA Tech (2017), Bradley (2018), West Virginia (2019), Clemson (2020), Saint Louis (2021) and Auburn (2022). Previous women's participating teams include marquee programs such as Arizona State, Baylor, Duke, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Maryland, Oklahoma, Purdue, Seton Hall, Stanford, UCLA, and Washington, among others.
Brackets
edit* – Denotes overtime period
2024
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 26 | Riviera Championship November 27 | ||||||||
| Wyoming | |||||||||
| Tulane | |||||||||
| Loyola Marymount | |||||||||
| Belmont | Riviera Consolation November 27 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 26 | Mayan Championship November 27 | ||||||||
| Southeastern Louisiana | |||||||||
| Gardner-Webb | |||||||||
| Bethune–Cookman | |||||||||
| North Dakota | Mayan Consolation November 27 | ||||||||
Women's
editMayan Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Providence | 0-0 |
| San Diego State | 0-0 |
| VCU | 0-0 |
| Wisconsin | 0-0 |
Riviera Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| BYU | 0-0 |
| Idaho State | 0-0 |
| Iowa | 0-0 |
| Rhode Island | 0-0 |
| Rice | 0-0 |
| Vermont | 0-0 |
2023
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Consolation November 22 CBS Sports Network | Riviera Semifinals November 21 CBS Sports Network | Riviera Championship November 22 CBS Sports Network | |||||||||||
| 22 | James Madison | 82 | |||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 76 | ||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 81 | 22 | James Madison | 95 | |||||||||
| New Mexico State | 54 | Fresno State | 64 | ||||||||||
| Fresno State | 81* | ||||||||||||
| New Mexico State | 76 | ||||||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Consolation November 22 Flo Hoops | Mayan Semifinals November 21 Flo Hoops | Mayan Championship November 22 Flo Hoops | |||||||||||
| Morgan State | 72 | ||||||||||||
| Radford | 82 | ||||||||||||
| Morgan State | 83 | Radford | 79 | ||||||||||
| Chicago State | 84 | Northern Colorado | 68 | ||||||||||
| Chicago State | 77 | ||||||||||||
| Northern Colorado | 78 | ||||||||||||
Women's
editRiviera Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Creighton | 2–0 |
| Georgia Tech | 1–1 |
| James Madison | 1–1 |
| Michigan State | 1–1 |
| Montana State | 1–1 |
| New Mexico | 0–2 |
Mayan Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Maryland | 2–1 |
| Washington State | 2–1 |
| Green Bay | 1–2 |
| UMass | 0–3 |
2022
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 22 CBS Sports Network | Riviera Championship November 23 CBS Sports Network | ||||||||
| Bradley | 64 | ||||||||
| 13 | Auburn | 85 | |||||||
| 13 | Auburn | 43 | |||||||
| Northwestern | 42 | ||||||||
| Liberty | 52 | ||||||||
| Northwestern | 66 | Riviera Consolation November 23 CBS Sports Network | |||||||
| Bradley | 44 | ||||||||
| Liberty | 55 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 22 FloHoops | Mayan Championship November 23 FloHoops | ||||||||
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 74 | ||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 67 | ||||||||
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 58 | ||||||||
| Southern Miss | 70 | ||||||||
| Southern Miss | 77 | ||||||||
| Winthrop | 52 | Mayan Consolation November 23 FloHoops | |||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 87 | ||||||||
| Winthrop | 101 | ||||||||
2021
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 23 CBS Sports Network | Riviera Championship November 24 CBS Sports Network | ||||||||
| Stephen F. Austin | 79 | ||||||||
| Buffalo | 78 | ||||||||
| Stephen F. Austin | 68 | ||||||||
| Saint Louis | 79 | ||||||||
| Illinois State | 76 | ||||||||
| Saint Louis | 82 | Riviera Consolation November 24 CBS Sports Network | |||||||
| Buffalo | 106 | ||||||||
| Illinois State | 90 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 23 FloHoops | Mayan Championship November 24 FloHoops | ||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 60 | ||||||||
| Rider | 54 | ||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 82 | ||||||||
| Mercer | 58 | ||||||||
| Bucknell | 68 | ||||||||
| Mercer | 78 | Mayan Consolation November 24 FloHoops | |||||||
| Rider | 85 | ||||||||
| Bucknell | 79 | ||||||||
Women's
edit[3] All games streamed on FloHoops.com
Mayan Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Baylor | 2–0 |
| Houston | 1–1 |
| Arizona State | 1–2 |
| Fordham | 1–2 |
Riviera Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| UCF | 1–0 |
| USC | 1-1 |
| Seton Hall | 1–1 |
| Toledo | 1–1 |
| Idaho State | 0–2 |
| Iowa | 0–0 |
2020 Space Coast Classic
editDue to COVID-19 pandemic the 2020 Cancún Challenge was not held, instead a 4 team tournament was branded as the Space Coast Challenge,[4] games were played at Titan Field House in Melbourne, FL.
| Semifinals November 24 CBS Sports Network | Championship November 25 CBS Sports Network | ||||||||
| Clemson | 53 | ||||||||
| Mississippi State | 42 | ||||||||
| Clemson | 81 | ||||||||
| Purdue | 70 | ||||||||
| Liberty | 64 | ||||||||
| Purdue | 77 | Consolation November 25 CBS Sports Network | |||||||
| Mississippi State | 73 | ||||||||
| Liberty | 84 | ||||||||
2019
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 26 CBS Sports Network | Riviera Championship November 27 CBS Sports Network | ||||||||
| Wichita State | 70 | ||||||||
| South Carolina | 47 | ||||||||
| Wichita State | 63 | ||||||||
| West Virginia | 74 | ||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 55 | ||||||||
| West Virginia | 60 | Riviera Consolation November 27 CBS Sports Network | |||||||
| South Carolina | 72 | ||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 78 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 26 FloHoops | Mayan Championship November 27 FloHoops | ||||||||
| UT Martin | 64 | ||||||||
| Gardner–Webb | 81 | ||||||||
| Gardner–Webb | 67 | ||||||||
| Northern Colorado | 63 | ||||||||
| Boston University | 55 | ||||||||
| Northern Colorado | 78 | Mayan Consolation November 27 FloHoops | |||||||
| UT Martin | 76 | ||||||||
| Boston University | 73 | ||||||||
Women's
editRiviera Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Creighton | 2–0 |
| North Carolina | 2–0 |
| New Mexico | 1–1 |
| West Virginia | 1–1 |
| Missouri | 0–2 |
| Temple | 0–2 |
Mayan Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Florida Gulf Coast | 3–0 |
| South Dakota State | 2–1 |
| Notre Dame | 1–2 |
| South Florida | 0–3 |
2018
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 20 CBS Sports Network | Riviera Championship November 21 CBS Sports Network | ||||||||
| Bradley | 75 | ||||||||
| SMU | 62 | ||||||||
| Bradley | 59 | ||||||||
| Penn State | 56 | ||||||||
| Wright State | 59 | ||||||||
| Penn State | 77 | Riviera Consolation November 21 CBS Sports Network | |||||||
| SMU | 77 | ||||||||
| Wright State | 76 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 20 | Mayan Championship November 21 | ||||||||
| Western Carolina | 53 | ||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 84 | ||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 83 | ||||||||
| North Florida | 78 | ||||||||
| North Florida | 64 | ||||||||
| Southern Miss | 48 | Mayan Consolation November 21 | |||||||
| Western Carolina | 63 | ||||||||
| Southern Miss | 68 | ||||||||
Women's
editRiviera Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| NC State | 2–0 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–0 |
| Idaho State | 1–1 |
| Michigan State | 1–1 |
| Kennesaw State | 0–2 |
| George Washington | 0–2 |
Mayan Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Syracuse | 3–0 |
| DePaul | 2–1 |
| Kansas State | 1–2 |
| Princeton | 0–3 |
2017
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 21 CBS Sports Network | Riviera Championship game November 22 CBS Sports Network | ||||||||
| George Mason | 64 | ||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 77 | ||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 63 | ||||||||
| Evansville | 61 | ||||||||
| Fresno State | 57 | ||||||||
| Evansville | 59 | Riviera Consolation November 22 CBS Sports Network | |||||||
| George Mason | 75 | ||||||||
| Fresno State | 79 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 21 | Mayan Championship November 22 | ||||||||
| Binghamton | 64 | ||||||||
| Montana State | 74 | ||||||||
| Montana State | 88 | ||||||||
| Southeast Missouri State | 82 | ||||||||
| Cal State Northridge | 59 | ||||||||
| Southeast Missouri State | 74 | Mayan Consolation November 22 CBS Sports Network | |||||||
| Binghamton | 70 | ||||||||
| Cal State Northridge | 65 | ||||||||
Women's
editRiviera Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Tennessee | 3–0 |
| Indiana State | 1–1 |
| Marquette | 1–1 |
| Oklahoma State | 1–1 |
| South Dakota | 1–2 |
| Montana | 0–2 |
Mayan Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 3–0 |
| Green Bay | 2–1 |
| Arizona State | 1–2 |
| Columbia | 0–3 |
2016
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 22 CBSSN | Riviera Championship game November 23 CBSSN | ||||||||
| Auburn | 67 | ||||||||
| Texas Tech | 65 | ||||||||
| Auburn | 71 | ||||||||
| 15 | Purdue | 96 | |||||||
| Utah State | 64 | ||||||||
| 15 | Purdue | 85 | Riviera Consolation November 23 CBSSN | ||||||
| Texas Tech | 75 | ||||||||
| Utah State | 51 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 22 | Mayan Championship November 23 | ||||||||
| NJIT | 53 | ||||||||
| Georgia State | 74 | ||||||||
| Georgia State | 82 | ||||||||
| Eastern Kentucky | 65 | ||||||||
| Idaho State | 82 | ||||||||
| Eastern Kentucky | 91* | Mayan Consolation November 23 | |||||||
| NJIT | 71 | ||||||||
| Idaho State | 67 | ||||||||
Women's
editRiviera Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| UCLA | 2–0 |
| Idaho State | 1–1 |
| Iowa | 1–1 |
| James Madison | 1–1 |
| Toledo | 1–1 |
| Davidson | 0–2 |
Mayan Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Stanford | 3–0 |
| Purdue | 2–1 |
| Wichita State | 1–2 |
| Northeastern | 0–3 |
2015
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 24 CBSSN | Riviera Championship game November 25 CBSSN | ||||||||
| Rhode Island | 66 | ||||||||
| TCU | 60 | ||||||||
| Rhode Island | 63 | ||||||||
| 2 | Maryland | 86 | |||||||
| Illinois State | 66 | ||||||||
| 2 | Maryland | 77 | Riviera Consolation November 25 CBSSN | ||||||
| TCU | 71 | ||||||||
| Illinois State | 60 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 24 | Mayan Championship November 25 | ||||||||
| Cleveland State | 57 | ||||||||
| Rider | 52 | ||||||||
| Cleveland State | 68 | ||||||||
| South Dakota State | 77 | ||||||||
| Houston Baptist | 68 | ||||||||
| South Dakota State | 92 | Mayan Consolation November 27 | |||||||
| Rider | 67 | ||||||||
| Houston Baptist | 56 | ||||||||
Women's
editRiviera Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Seton Hall | 2–0 |
| Georgia Tech | 1–1 |
| NC State | 1–1 |
| Northern Iowa | 1–1 |
| UAB | 1–1 |
| High Point | 0–2 |
Mayan Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Duke | 3–0 |
| Idaho | 2–1 |
| Iowa State | 1–2 |
| Texas State | 0–3 |
2014
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 25 CBS Sports Network | Riviera Championship November 26 CBS Sports Network | ||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 54 | ||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 73 | ||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 61 | ||||||||
| Northwestern | 42 | ||||||||
| Miami (OH) | 46 | ||||||||
| Northwestern | 55 | Consolation November 27 CBS Sports Network | |||||||
| Virginia Tech | 78 | ||||||||
| Miami (OH) | 63 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 25 | Mayan Championship November 26 | ||||||||
| Morgan State | 73 | ||||||||
| Elon | 74 | ||||||||
| Elon | 65 | ||||||||
| North Florida | 72 | ||||||||
| North Florida | 77 | ||||||||
| Liberty | 57 | Consolation November 27 | |||||||
| Morgan State | 51 | ||||||||
| Liberty | 50 | ||||||||
Women's
editRiviera Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Washington | 3–0 |
| Florida State | 2–1 |
| Furman | 1–2 |
| Hartford | 0–3 |
Mayan Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Princeton | 3–0 |
| Wake Forest | 2–1 |
| Montana | 1–2 |
| Charlotte | 0–3 |
2013
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 26 | Riviera Championship November 27 | ||||||||
| West Virginia | 78 | ||||||||
| Old Dominion | 60 | ||||||||
| West Virginia | 63 | ||||||||
| Wisconsin | 70 | ||||||||
| Wisconsin | 63 | ||||||||
| Saint Louis | 57 | Consolation November 27 | |||||||
| Old Dominion | 52 | ||||||||
| Saint Louis | 62 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 26 | Mayan Championship November 27 | ||||||||
| Presbyterian | 45 | ||||||||
| Bowling Green | 67 | ||||||||
| Bowling Green | 56 | ||||||||
| Oral Roberts | 63 | ||||||||
| Oral Roberts | 67 | ||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 65 | Consolation November 27 | |||||||
| Presbyterian | 64 | ||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 78 | ||||||||
Women's
editRiviera Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Arizona State | 3–0 |
| North Carolina | 2–1 |
| Illinois | 1–2 |
| Arkansas State | 0–3 |
Mayan Division
edit| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Iowa | 3–0 |
| USC | 2–1 |
| Boston College | 1–2 |
| UNC Wilmington | 0–3 |
2012
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 20 | Riviera Championship November 21 | ||||||||
| DePaul | 62 | ||||||||
| Wichita State | 75 | ||||||||
| Wichita State | 75 | ||||||||
| Iowa | 63 | ||||||||
| Iowa | 63 | ||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 55 | Consolation November 21 | |||||||
| DePaul | 61 | ||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 70 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 20 | Mayan Championship November 21 | ||||||||
| Austin Peay | 72 | ||||||||
| Western Carolina | 71 | ||||||||
| Austin Peay | 62 | ||||||||
| Gardner–Webb | 72 | ||||||||
| Howard | 43 | ||||||||
| Gardner–Webb | 55 | Consolation November 21 | |||||||
| Western Carolina | 69 | ||||||||
| Howard | 67 | ||||||||
2011
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 22 | Riviera Championship November 23 | ||||||||
| Rutgers | 70 | ||||||||
| Illinois State | 76 | ||||||||
| Illinois State | 59 | ||||||||
| Illinois | 63 | ||||||||
| Richmond | 61 | ||||||||
| Illinois | 70 | Consolation November 23 | |||||||
| Rutgers | 53 | ||||||||
| Richmond | 58 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 22 | Mayan Championship November 23 | ||||||||
| SIU Edwardsville | 87 | ||||||||
| Lipscomb | 90 | ||||||||
| Lipscomb | 79 | ||||||||
| Sacred Heart | 77 | ||||||||
| Hampton | 71 | ||||||||
| Sacred Heart | 78 | Consolation November 23 | |||||||
| SIU Edwardsville | 64 | ||||||||
| Hampton | 68 | ||||||||
2010
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 23 | Riviera Championship November 24 | ||||||||
| Wyoming | 62 | ||||||||
| Missouri | 72 | ||||||||
| Missouri | 83 | ||||||||
| La Salle | 71 | ||||||||
| La Salle | 84 | ||||||||
| Providence | 73 | Consolation November 24 | |||||||
| Wyoming | 77 | ||||||||
| Providence | 84 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 23 | Mayan Championship November 24 | ||||||||
| Western Illinois | 53 | ||||||||
| Morgan State | 72 | ||||||||
| Morgan State | 52 | ||||||||
| North Florida | 59 | ||||||||
| Prairie View A&M | 66 | ||||||||
| North Florida | 84 | Consolation November 24 | |||||||
| Western Illinois | 69 | ||||||||
| Prairie View A&M | 63 | ||||||||
2009
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Riviera Semifinals November 24 | Riviera Championship November 25 | ||||||||
| Kentucky | 73 | ||||||||
| Cleveland State | 49 | ||||||||
| Kentucky | 73* | ||||||||
| Stanford | 65 | ||||||||
| Stanford | 57 | ||||||||
| Virginia | 52 | Consolation November 25 | |||||||
| Cleveland State | 65 | ||||||||
| Virginia | 76 | ||||||||
Mayan Division
edit| Mayan Semifinals November 24 | Mayan Championship November 25 | ||||||||
| Oral Roberts | 65 | ||||||||
| Sam Houston State | 71 | ||||||||
| Sam Houston State | 80 | ||||||||
| Rider | 68 | ||||||||
| Florida A&M | 73 | ||||||||
| Rider | 88 | Consolation November 25 | |||||||
| Oral Roberts | 72 | ||||||||
| Florida A&M | 51 | ||||||||
2008
editMen's
editRiviera Division
edit| Semifinals November 29 | Championship November 30 | ||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 72 | ||||||||
| Drake | 57 | ||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 71 | ||||||||
| VCU | 66 | ||||||||
| VCU | 67 | ||||||||
| New Mexico | 57 | Consolation November 30 | |||||||
| Drake | 68 | ||||||||
| New Mexico | 62 | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ Women's Hoops' Caribbean Classic to Relocate – Baylor University Athletics
- ^ "2024 Cancun Challenge releases US, Mexico game schedule". Cancun Challenge. Triple Crown Sports. August 8, 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Teams, schedules announced for 2021 Women's Cancun Challenge". Cancun Challenge. Triple Crown Sports. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Clemson claims Space Coast Challenge championship". Space Coast Challenge. Triple Crown Sports. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Tourney officials announce eight-team field, matchups for 2018 Men's Cancun Challenge". Cancun Challenge. TripleCrownSports. Retrieved 20 November 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Field and Schedule Secured for Cancun Challenge". Cancun Challenge. TripleCrownSports. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
- ^ "Field and Schedule Secured for Cancun Challenge". Cancun Challenge. TripleCrownSports. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.