A few months before the Final Four comes to town, Glendale will host the inaugural Arizona Tip-Off, an early season college basketball tournament, in November.

DePaul, South Carolina, Grand Canyon and San Francisco make up the inaugural four-team Cactus Division, while Northern Arizona, Purdue Fort Wayne, South Dakota and Virginia Military Institute (VMI) will compete in the Desert Division. The tournament will take place Nov. 17-19 at Desert Diamond Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Ave.

The 2024 Final Four will tip off at State Farm Stadium, also in the Westgate Entertainment District, on April 6.

All eight teams participating in the Arizona Tip-Off will be in action on Nov. 17 for their respective opening-round games:

-- Cactus Division: DePaul vs. South Carolina; Grand Canyon vs. San Francisco

-- Desert Division: South Dakota vs. VMI; NAU vs. Purdue Fort Wayne

The championship and third-place game in the Desert Division will be played Nov. 18, while the championship and third-place game in the Cactus Division will tip off Nov. 19.

All Cactus Division games will be broadcast by CBS Sports Network. Tip times for all games, in addition to distribution plans for Desert Division games, will be announced at a later date.

The tournament will be hosted by the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission.

“Bringing a premium early season experience to Glendale, alongside incredible partners at the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission, will make the Arizona Tip-Off a very attractive opportunity for teams, and we’re excited to begin this relationship,” Mark Starsiak, vice president of basketball at Intersport and the event director for the Tip-Off, shared in a statement.

Visit arizonatipoff.com.