By ISU Sports Information
HONOLULU – The Illinois State men’s basketball team is one of eight programs slated to compete in the 2016 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, with games scheduled for Dec. 22, 23 and 25, 2016, hosted by the University of Hawai’i at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. The 2016 field was announced Tuesday before the start of this season’s tournament.
“These non-conference tournaments are critical for our program to get an opportunity to play against high-quality opponents on a neutral site,” head coach Dan Muller said. “Hopefully, it will be a great Christmas in Hawaii next year.”
The field for the 2016 Diamond Head Classic includes: Illinois State, San Diego State, San Francisco, Southern Mississippi, Stephen F. Austin, Tulsa, Utah and tournament-host Hawai’i. The eighth-annual event features three teams that participated in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, including Utah which advanced to the Elite Eight and is currently receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Stephen F. Austin and San Diego State also played in last year’s NCAA Tournament, with SDSU advancing to the second round. Meanwhile, Tulsa and Illinois State earned bids to the 2015 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
The Diamond Head Classic will feature 12 games through three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through the bracket. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in the championship game on the final day of the tournament. Previous tournament champions of the Diamond Head Classic include: USC (2009), Butler (2010), Kansas State (2011), Arizona (2012), Iowa State (2013) and George Washington (2014).
The family-friendly tournament includes three days of tournament play, practices, events and travel experiences unique to the islands of Hawaii. Additional information can be found on the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic’s official website: http://www.HawaiianairlinesDiamondHeadClassic.com.
Next year’s Diamond Head Classic marks Illinois State’s fourth tournament in the state of Hawaii in program history: Big Island Invitational (2-1) – Hilo, Hawaii (1994-95); United Airlines Tipoff Classic (1-1) – Honolulu, Hawaii (1997-98); Hawaii Pacific Shootout (3-0) – Honolulu, Hawaii (1998-99). ISU also faced Hawai’i twice during one trip in 1979, splitting the two-game series. The Redbirds will be playing in a tournament outside of the continental United States for the third-straight season.
MVC/MWC Challenge
Illinois State will host New Mexico on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, Dec. 3, 2016, as part of the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge, the league office announced Tuesday.
Led by third-year head coach Craig Neal, the Lobos have earned seven Mountain West regular-season and tournament championships over the past eight seasons. Next year’s game will mark the first-ever meeting between Illinois State and New Mexico.
