CofC Takes on Host Hawaii in Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic
8/4/2009 6:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, announced today the schedule of matchups for the 2009 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, to be held Dec. 22, 23 and 25 at the Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in Honolulu.
The event will include 12 games through three days and will be telecast on ESPN2 and ESPNU. Tournament sponsors include Hawaiian Airlines and Sheraton Hotels. The Western Athletic Conference will serve as the event's sponsoring conference.
The inaugural Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic field includes eight teams: College of Charleston, Hawai'i, Northeastern, Saint Mary's (Calif.), SMU, UNLV, USC and Western Michigan. Five of the eight teams reached the postseason in 2008-09, with USC playing in the NCAA Tournament, UNLV and Saint Mary's in the National Invitation Tournament and College of Charleston and Northeastern playing in the College Basketball Invitational.
All 12 games will be played at the Stan Sheriff Center during the Christmas holiday week, with teams enjoying an off day Thursday, Dec. 24, to watch the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) and visit the beaches of Oahu. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout the tournament will face off in a championship match Friday, Dec. 25, at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Complete matchups are listed below.
In the first round of action Tuesday, Dec. 22, Northeastern will take on Saint Mary's; Western Michigan will face USC; SMU will meet UNLV; and College of Charleston will square off with Hawai'i. The first four games on the opening day of action will be televised live on ESPNU.
Individual tickets to the 2009 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic will go on sale in early October at www.etickethawaii.com or by phone, at (808) 944-2697. Fans can purchase official travel packages, which include game tickets and official team hotel accommodations, by visiting www.anthonytravel.com (search Hawaiian Airlines) or by calling 1-888-632-6951.
Additional information can be found on the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic's official Web site: www.DiamondHeadClassic.com. For more information on Hawaiian Airlines, visit http://www.hawaiianair.com.
Wed, Dec 23
12:30 a.m. - College of Charleston vs. Hawai'i (ESPNU)
3 p.m. - Game 5 (ESPNU)
5 p.m. - Game 6 (ESPNU)
11:30 p.m. - Game 7 (ESPN2)
Thu, Dec 24
2 a.m. - Game 8
Fri, Dec 25
2 p.m. - Game 9
4:30 p.m. - Game 10 (ESPNU)
7:30 p.m. - Game 11 (ESPN2)
9:30 p.m. - Game 12 (Championship Game) (ESPN2)
