TCU and Fort Worth have become the perfect match to host the Maggie Dixon Classic
The Maggie Dixon Classic has found a home in Fort Worth.
The women’s basketball event returns to Schollmaier Arena on Sunday after a one-year hiatus during the pandemic. The TCU women will face North Carolina at 3:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader showcase.
Duke and Alabama get the day started with a tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m.
“The Maggie Dixon Classic has found a really good and rooted home here in Fort Worth and at TCU,” said TCU women’s coach Raegan Pebley. “We’re honoring her legacy in the right way by bringing in great competition and great character programs. I’m really, really excited about the direction this is all headed.”
This will mark the 15th edition of the Maggie Dixon Classic, which was started in honor of the former Army women’s coach and the late sister of TCU men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon.
The tournament had a longtime home at New York City’s Madison Square Garden before one-year stints in Queens, N.Y. (2016) and College Station (2017). It landed in Fort Worth in 2018.
The destination made sense given Dixon coaching the men’s team and Pebley’s passion for the tournament.
Outside of the games, this event is as much about raising awareness for heart health. Maggie, weeks after leading Army’s women’s team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance, died suddenly of a heart arrhythmia at age 28 in April 2006. TCU and UNT Health Science Center School of Medicine have partnered with the Maggie Dixon Foundation to host a Heart Health Fair during the games.
A few activities will be limited due to COVID-19 protocols.
Along with the Heart Health Fair, TCU’s coaches will be wearing camouflage shirts as a nod to Maggie Dixon’s time as Army’s coach.
As far as the game is concerned, Pebley is excited to see how her team responds following an 88-78 double-overtime loss at Tulane on Wednesday night. The loss dropped TCU to 1-1 on the season.
North Carolina, meanwhile, is off to a 3-0 start. The Tar Heels have won those games by an average of more than 45 points and their leading scorer is former Duncanville standout Deja Kelly.
“North Carolina has a great blend of freshmen, transfers and returners,” Pebley said. “Deja Kelly is a great player who I anticipate will be very excited to be playing back close to home. They’re a very unselfish team that shares the ball well. Our defense is going to have a really good opportunity to be tested.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 12:00 PM.
