SBLive Sports releases brackets for 2023 Holiday Classic basketball tournament
Brackets for The 33rd Holiday Classic presented by SBLive Sports were released on Tuesday morning. 76 teams across five brackets will begin the four-day tournament on Wednesday, December 27. Torrey Pines, St. Augustine, Rancho Buena Vista, Francis Parker and Carlsbad will serve as the sites for the San Diego-based tournament.
Two teams from the Southern Section's Trinity League, JSerra and Santa Margarita, will be playing in the National Division. The Lions are off to an 8-0 start in 2023 led by four-star Colorado commit Sebastian Rancik and senior guard Aidan Fowler who has a Holiday Classic All-Tournament selection in 2022.
Four San Diego Section teams will be playing in the National Division bracket including St. Augustine and Montgomery, who battled for the Open Division crown in San Diego to end last season. Carlsbad, the top-ranked team in the San Diego Section to open the 2023 season, returns All-CIF guards Jake Hall and Tony Duckett and added Pepperdine commit Jael Martin as an offseason transfer.
Three of the top teams from Texas, Faith Family Academy, St. Francis Episcopal and Waxahachie, will all be competing in the National Division. Faith Family was the National Division runners-up two years ago and is led by Colorado signee Doryan Onwuchekwa. St. Francis Episcopal is led by junior big man Nigel Walls while Waxahachie has two four-stars juniors in King Grace and Parker Jefferson.
The 2022 Holiday Classic came down to the end with St. John's (DC) holding off St. Augustine (California), 71-65, to capture the National Division championship.
Past winners of The Holiday Classic include Oak Hill Academy (Virginia), St. Anthony's (New Jersey), Archbishop Stepinac (New York), St. John's (DC) and JSerra (California).
More than 20 current NBA players have played in The Holiday Classic, led by Klay Thompson, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan and Jrue Holiday.
2023 Holiday Classic Brackets
NATIONAL DIVISION DAILY SCHEDULE
AMERICAN DIVISION DAILY SCHEDULE
SENATOR'S DIVISION DAILY SCHEDULE
