 The Dixie Classic was a three-day tournament held each December until 1961 that matched the four Tobacco Road schools of NC State, North Carolina, Duke, and Wake Forest against four of the top teams from across the country.In its time the Dixie Classic became the largest regular season tournament in college basketball.After finishing the season at 27–6 and winning its fourth consecutive Southern Conference Tournament, the Wolfpack received invitations to both the National Invitation Tournament and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.