MBB To Play At 2014 Hawaiian Diamond Head Classic
BOULDER GÇô The University of Colorado menGÇÖs basketball team will
be one of eight teams playing at the 2014 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond
Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawai'i next
Christmas.
The field for the sixth annual event also includes George
Washington, Nebraska, Ohio, Wichita State and tournament host
Hawai'i. Two more teams will be announced at a later date to
round out the eight-team field.
The Buffaloes (10-2) are one of two teams in the field that are
nationally ranked in MondayGÇÖs national polls. The Buffaloes fell
one spot to No. 21 in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll and
remain No. 24 in the USA Today/Coaches, while Wichita
State (12-0) is No. 8 in the CoachesGÇÖ and No 10 in the AP.
George Washington (10-1) is on the cusp of the Top 25 and receiving
votes in both polls. Nebraska and Ohio are both 8-3 this season,
while the Rainbow Warriors are 7-3.
Four of the six teams in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic
qualified for the postseason in 2012-13, highlighted by the
Shockers who advanced to the NCAA Final Four.
The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, an eight-team men's
college basketball tournament, 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 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head
Classic include USC (2009), Butler (2010), Kansas State (2011) and
Arizona (2012), currently the top-ranked team in the nation.
The family-friendly tournament includes three days of tournament
play, practices, events and travel experiences unique to the
islands of Hawai'i.
The CU menGÇÖs basketball program is not a stranger to the Hawaiian
Islands during the first two months of non-conference season. In
November 2009, the Buffaloes competed at the EA Sports Maui
Invitational, and in 2008, they participated at the Rainbow Classic
in Honolulu. Both tournaments saw the Buffs achieve a 1-2
record.
CU opened the 1996-97 season, playing its first four games at the
Big Island invitational in Hilo, where they reached final achieving
a 3-1 record.
Under head coach Tad Boyle, the Buffaloes have participated in a
mid-season tournament in either November or December all four
years.
During his initial season in 2010-11, the Buffs played two games at
the iBN Sports Classic in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena in
December (1-1); the following season they participated at the
Puerto Rico Tip-off in November (1-2); and in 2012, CU won the
Charleston Classic in South Carolina with straight three wins, also
played in November.
CU plays its final non-conference game of the year hosting Georgia
this Saturday, Dec. 28 at the Coors Events Center. Tip is 8:06 p.m.
(MT) on the Pac-12 Network. Fans can purchase a three-game holiday
plan for Georgia, Oregon State (Jan. 2) and Oregon (Jan. 5)
starting at $30 for youth and seniors, $45 for adults.
Additional information can be found on the Hawaiian Airlines
Diamond Head Classic's official Web site at www.DiamondHeadClassic.com
The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic is owned and operated by
ESPN Regional Television.
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a
division of ESPN Regional Television (ERT), owns and operates a
large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster
includes two Labor Day weekend college football games; 11 college
bowl games and eight college basketball events, which accounts for
approximately 200 hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million
viewers and attracts over a half a million attendees each year.
With satellite offices in Boise, Birmingham, Dallas-Fort Worth,
Albuquerque, St. Petersburg and Las Vegas, ESPN Events builds
relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as
well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
A subsidiary of ESPN, ERT is also the production headquarters for
ESPNU;
syndication rights-holder and producer of national and regional
shows for college conferences (American, Big 12, Mid-American,
SEC) and
manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.
Collegiate Football
AdvoCare Texas
Kickoff (Houston); BBVA Compass
Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); Beef GÇÿOGÇÖ BradyGÇÖs
Bowl St. Petersburg; Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Bell Helicopter Armed
Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); Raycom Media Camellia
Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); Famous Idaho
Potato Bowl (Boise); Gildan New
Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Heart of
Dallas Bowl Presented by PlainsCapital Bank (Dallas-Fort
Worth); MEAC/SWAC
Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); Royal Purple Las Vegas
Bowl; Sheraton HawaiGÇÖi
Bowl (Honolulu); Texas
Bowl (Houston) and
The Home Depot College Football Awards
Collegiate Basketball
Armed Forces
Classic (Camp Humphreys, South Korea); Charleston
Classic Presented by Gildan (S.C.); Hawaiian
Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V MenGÇÖs &
WomenGÇÖs Basketball Classics presented by Corona Extra (Madison
Square Garden & Durham, N.C.); Old Spice
Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Puerto Rico
Tip-Off (San Juan, PR); State Farm
Champions Classic (United Center, Chicago) and DIRECTV Wooden
Legacy (Orange County, Calif.)
For more information, visit www.espnevents.com
or follow on Twitter and
Facebook.
Media Contacts:
Rachel Margolis Siegal at
860-766-2798, or rachel.m.siegal@espn.com
Neal Iwamoto at 808-956-9748, or niwamoto@hawaii.edu