ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia will take on Xavier on Friday, Nov. 21 in the opening round of the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic, ESPN Events, which manages the tournament, announced on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs’ contest against the Musketeers is the second game of the Palmetto Bracket at TD Arena, tipping off at 9:00 p.m. ET and airing on ESPN2. Clemson and West Virginia will meet in the bracket’s other matchup at 6:30 p.m., also airing on ESPN2. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 23, with the championship game set for 1:00 p.m. and the consolation contest slated for 3:30 p.m. Both of Sunday’s games will air on ESPN.

Georgia and Xavier will be meeting for the sixth time. Most recently, the Bulldogs bested the Musketeers, 78-76, in the opening round of the 2024 NIT in Athens. That sparked Georgia’s surge to the NIT semifinals. Overall, Xavier owns a 3-2 edge in previous matchups. The only neutral site game was in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, when the Musketeers earned a 73-61 Round of 64 victory in Washington, D.C.

The Bulldogs are 56-26 all-time against Clemson and 1-2 versus West Virginia.

Georgia is coming off its best season in a decade, a campaign which culminated with the Bulldogs’ first NCAA Tournament bid since 2015. Georgia’s 2025-26 roster is comprised of seven returnees – including starters Blue Cain and Dylan James – and eight newcomers – three freshmen and five transfers. The Bulldogs have been featured in every edition of Joe Lunardi’s early Bracketology for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, most recently as the No. 10 seed in the East Regional.

The Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic also includes a Lowcountry Bracket featuring Boston College, Davidson, Tulane and Utah State. Those games will be played on Friday afternoon and Sunday evening and will air on ESPN2. Tickets for the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic are now on sale. To secure the best pricing and for full ticketing details, visit CharlestonClassic.com.

About Shriners Children’s

Shriners Children’s improves the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, conducting innovative research, and offering outstanding education programs for medical professionals. Children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care, regardless of the families’ ability to pay, and receive all care and services in a compassionate, family-centered environment. For more information, please visit shrinerschildrens.org.

 

ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, two college volleyball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.