The Diamond Head Classic tournament kicks off Tuesday in Honolulu, Hawaii. Spotlighted by the third-ranked Oklahoma Sooners and the red-hot Northern Iowa Panthers, the Diamond Head Classic features eight teams in this bracket-style tournament. The first set of games begins on Tuesday with the respective winners and losers playing on Wednesday. The final round of games ends on Christmas Day.
No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners (8-0) vs. Washington State Cougars (7-2)
Date: Tuesday, December 22
Time: 10:00pm
Channel: ESPNU
Three things to know about Oklahoma:
1. The Sooners rank No. 2 in the Coaches Poll and No. 3 in the AP poll. They are the only ranked team in the Diamond Head Classic. They are also ranked higher than their football counterpart (No. 4).
2. This is the team’s second trip to Hawaii this season and the third trip out of the continental United States in the past two years. The Sooners will travel to Puerto Rico next year to play in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off
3. Senior guard Isaiah Cousins is likely to be a part of the 1,000-point club during the Sooners stint in Hawaii. The Mount Vernon native is 32 points shy of hitting the mark.
Three things to know about Washington State:
1. The Cougars will boast plenty of size to combat Sooners forward Ryan Spangler on the glass. The frontcourt rotation consists of 6-foot-10 Josh Hawkinson and Valentine Izundu as well as 7-footer Conor Clifford.
2. Hawkinson is one of the best forwards in the Pac-12 Conference. The junior forward will enter the game against Oklahoma will four consecutive double-doubles.
3. Izundu is averaging an absurd 3.3 blocks per game in just 16 minutes of play. In his spot minutes, Izundu averages the most blocks of any player in this matchup.
Auburn Tigers (5-3) vs. New Mexico Lobos (7-3)
Date: Tuesday, December 22
Time: 1:30pm
Channel: ESPNU
Three things to know about Auburn:
1. Auburn is in its second year under two-time SEC Coach of the Year Bruce Pearl
2. Transfer guard Kareem Canty drastically improved the Tigers offense this season. Canty leads the SEC in three-pointers (3.7) made and ranks second in assists (5.8).
3. Senior forward Cinmeon Bowers is a double-double threat and has expanded his range.
Three things to know about New Mexico:
1. New Mexico is looking to bounce back from its mediocre 15-16 season. The Lobos are two years removed from its 27-win season under coach Craig Neal
2. The Lobos are a young basketball team, sporting three underclassmen in the starting lineup. Guard Tim Jacobs is the only senior in the Lobos rotation.
3. New Mexico has beaten the fellow tournament participant Northern Iowa 76-57. Guard Elijah Brown filed in a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds.
Brigham Young Cougars (7-3) vs. Harvard Crimson (3-6)
Date: Tuesday, December 22
Time: 3:30pm
Channel: ESPNU
Three things to know about BYU:
1. Brigham Young enter the season as back-to-back West Coast Conference champions.
2. Freshman guard Nick Emery looks to pick up where former guard and leading scorer Tyler Haws left off in the backcourt. Emery’s 15.6 points per game leads the Cougars.
3. The Cougars have a solid interior presence with transfer forward Kyle Davis. The former Southern Utah and Utah State player has seen an increase in rebounding, grabbing over 10 boards per game.
Three things to know about Harvard:
1. Coach Tommy Amaker is 14 wins shy of being Harvard’s winningest coach in the program’s history. In just nine seasons, Amaker has led the Crimson to six 20-plus win seasons, five conference championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances.
2. Junior center Zena Edosomwan is averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds per game. He is the only Crimson player averaging more than 10 points per game.
3. Part of Harvard’s woes this season stem from its inability to generate fastbreak points. The Crimson rank near the bottom in forcing turnovers.
Northern Iowa Panthers (7-3) vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (7-1)
Date: Wednesday, December 23
Time: Midnight
Channel: ESPNU
Three things to know about Northern Iowa:
1. The Panthers have gained notoriety after a four-point win against previously top-ranked North Carolina and an 81-79 victory against former No. 5 Iowa State.
2. The Panthers won 31 wins and a Missouri Valley Conference championship in 2014-15.
3. Northern Iowa is led by senior guard Wes Washpun. Washpun posted 28 points and 11 rebounds in the team’s upset win against the Cyclones.
Three things to know about Hawaii:
1. The Rainbow Warriors will play in light of news of the NCAA’s imposed punishment on the Hawaii basketball program. Following the violation of ethical conduct from former coach Gib Arnold, Hawaii received a one-year ban from the postseason and three-year probation among other penalties.
2. Hawaii is led by first-year coach Eran Ganot. Ganot is the second-youngest coach in the country at age 33.
3. Hawaii has won six of the team’s seven wins by double digits
