Rady Children's Invitational: UCLA and Texas in a 5,100-Seat Gym on Thanksgiving

Overview

Four Division I men's basketball programs — UCLA, Texas, Georgetown and Saint Mary's — play a two-day tournament at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27. Thursday is Thanksgiving Day.

The thing to understand about this event is the room. The Jenny Craig Pavilion seats 5,100. That is a small college gym, and it's about to hold two blue-blood athletic departments, a Big East program and a ranked mid-major. You will not sit this close to a UCLA basketball team anywhere else, and you certainly won't at Pauley Pavilion.

It's the fourth annual running, it's organized by Sports San Diego, and every ticket sends money to Rady Children's Hospital.

What You Need to Know

When: Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27, 2026

Where: Jenny Craig Pavilion, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park Way, San Diego

Field: UCLA, Texas, Georgetown, Saint Mary's

Format: Four teams, four games, two days. Two semifinals Thursday, then a third-place game and a final on Friday

Capacity: 5,100

Tickets: Two-day passes through USD, usdtoreros.evenue.net — maximum eight per online order

TV: All four games on FS1 and FOX

Organizer: Sports San Diego

Benefits: Rady Children's Hospital–San Diego

The Schedule

Thursday, November 26 — Thanksgiving Day

• 11:30 a.m. PT — Georgetown vs. Texas (FS1)
• 2:00 p.m. PT — UCLA vs. Saint Mary's (FS1)

Friday, November 27

• 11:30 a.m. PT — Third-place game (FOX)
• 2:00 p.m. PT — Championship game (FOX)

Those Thanksgiving tip times are doing you a favor. An 11:30 start and a 2:00 start means the second game is over by roughly 4:30. You can watch two high-major basketball games and still be carving at a reasonable hour. Whoever scheduled this understood the assignment.

Why This Field Is Worth the Drive

UCLA is the draw and the reason tickets move. A Big Ten program with more national titles than anyone, in a gym a fifth the size of its own.

Texas brings SEC weight and the kind of athleticism that looks different in a small building.

Georgetown is Big East basketball, which is its own particular flavour, and a program with genuine history.

Saint Mary's is the one San Diego should care about most. The Gaels are a West Coast Conference team — the same league USD plays in — which means they're a conference rival playing in a WCC building. They've also been the most consistently dangerous mid-major in the country for two decades. If there's an upset in this bracket, that's where it comes from.

Tickets

Right now the tournament is selling two-day passes only, through the University of San Diego's ticketing site rather than a general marketplace. Online orders cap at eight passes; larger groups go through Sports San Diego directly — Phil Snyder, (619) 283-5808 ext. 302.

If you only want one day, wait. In past years single-day tickets have been released closer to the tournament — in 2025 they went on sale in late November, with the organizers noting only a few hundred seats were left at that point. If a single day is what you want, watch for that release, but don't assume it's guaranteed.

Every ticket sold sends money to Rady Children's Hospital. That's the entire point of the event's existence, and it's a reasonable tiebreaker if you're deciding between this and watching from the couch.

Getting There and Parking

USD sits on a mesa above Linda Vista, and the campus is not intuitive. Budget more time than the drive suggests.

The lot you want is E3 — USD literally calls it the Jenny Craig Pavilion West Lot. It's the closest parking to the building and it has no time limit.

Other visitor options with no time limit: the Main Parking Structure (MPS), the West Parking Structure (WPS), W1, W2, and E6 (Manchester Village Field Lot).

What it costs. USD visitor parking is paid, at a pay station or through the ParkMobile app: $3 for an hour, $6 for two, $12 for four, and $21 for the full day — $18 in the West and Manchester lots. For a day with two games plus a break, the day rate is the one to buy.

Avoid the two-hour zones. Torero Way, E11 and N4 (Immaculata West) are capped at two hours, and everyone pays there regardless of permit. Two hours does not cover one basketball game plus parking and walking.

One thing to check on the day: November 26 is Thanksgiving and November 27 is the day after — both university holidays. USD's published enforcement window is weekdays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and whether that holds on a holiday isn't stated anywhere. Bring a card for the pay station and be pleasantly surprised if it's free.

Good to Know

Get there early for UCLA. A 5,100-seat building and a Big Ten name is a supply problem. The 2025 tournament sold down to a few hundred seats before the doors opened.

It's a daytime event. Both days finish mid-afternoon, which makes this far more family-workable than a normal college basketball night.

The building is good now. The Jenny Craig Pavilion opened in 2000 — funded by a $10 million Christmas gift from Sidney Craig, in honour of his wife — and was renovated in 2024 with a four-sided center-hung videoboard, ribbon displays, and new lighting and audio.

The tournament has moved once. The inaugural 2023 edition was at LionTree Arena at UC San Diego. It's at USD now.

A Bit of History

The first Rady Children's Invitational, November 23–24, 2023, brought Iowa, Oklahoma, USC and Seton Hall. Oklahoma won it in front of a sold-out crowd, beating USC in a finish that went to the wire.

Last year was the best one yet. TCU outlasted Florida 84–80 on Thanksgiving Day, then beat Wisconsin 74–63 for the title. Florida took third with a 90–78 win over Providence. Four games, no blowouts until the end.

FAQs

When is the Rady Children's Invitational?

Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27, 2026, at the Jenny Craig Pavilion at USD.

Who's playing?

UCLA, Texas, Georgetown and Saint Mary's. Georgetown–Texas and UCLA–Saint Mary's on Thursday; a third-place game and a final on Friday.

What are the tip times?

11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Pacific on both days.

Is it on TV?

Yes — both Thursday games on FS1, both Friday games on FOX.

How do I get tickets?

Two-day passes through USD's ticket site. Eight maximum per online order; bigger groups go through Sports San Diego.

Can I buy a ticket for just one day?

Not at the moment. Single-day tickets have been released closer to the event in past years, but nothing is confirmed for 2026.

Where do I park?

Lot E3, the Jenny Craig Pavilion West Lot. USD visitor parking runs $21 for a full day, paid at a pay station or through ParkMobile.

Does it actually raise money for Rady Children's?

Yes — that's the purpose of the tournament, and ticket sales fund the donation.

For more of what's on around the county, browse our full event calendar.