Chicago Invitational Challenge
| Sport | College Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| Ceased | 2011 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | United States |
| Venue(s) | Sears Centre Arena Hoffman Estates, Illinois |
| Last champion(s) | Wisconsin Badgers (2011) |
The Chicago Invitational Challenge was an annual early-season NCAA Division I college basketball tournament held around Thanksgiving week. The first offering was during the 2006–07 season with the last occurring during the 2011–12 season.
For the format of the tournament, the first two games were hosted at on-campus venues, with the semifinal and final rounds being contested as two distinct four-team brackets (designated as Upper and Lower, with both a championship and consolation game held for each) at a central location. Throughout the duration of the challenge (excluding 2009) the semifinal and final rounds were held at the Sears Centre Arena (currently named NOW® Arena) in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. In 2009 the village of Hoffman Estates acquired the Sears Centre Arena through a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure process; because of this, that iteration was moved to UIC Pavilion (currently named Credit Union 1 Arena) in Chicago, Illinois.
The tournament was owned and operated by Basketball Tournaments, Inc.