Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Men's Hoops to compete in 2017 Diamond Head Classic
11/25/2016 10:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MT will travel to Hawai'i for Christmas holiday tournament
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee is headed to Hawaii in 2017 as the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic announced the eight team field Friday which includes the Blue Raiders.
MT will be joined by Miami (FL), Southern California, Akron, Davidson, Hawai'i, New Mexico State and Utah State. Games will be played on December 22, 23 and 25 with every team playing one game each day at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.
"The Diamond Head Classic has historically been a tournament that everybody in college basketball watches over the Christmas holidays," Head Coach Kermit Davis said. "They've had some unbelievable tournament champions over the years and we're excited about being in the field.
"It's a field that has a lot of NCAA Tournament teams and to be able to go over there and play nationally televised games on ESPN is going to be great for our program."
Middle is one of four teams in the field that participated in the 2016 NCAA Tournament with Miami, USC and Hawai'i also going dancing. Akron, Davidson and New Mexico State each made a 2016 postseason appearance as well in the NIT.
"You've got tournament teams like Davidson, USC, Miami, Akron who we are very familiar with, Utah State where I used to coach and has a great basketball tradition, Hawai'i who was an NCAA Tournament team last year and New Mexico State who has been an NCAA Tournament team over the last five or six years," Davis added. "It's a really good field and a great RPI tournament for us."
Of the seven fellow participants in the 2017 Diamond Head Classic, four of them will be first time opponents for Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders hold a 17-10 advantage all-time against Akron, are 3-5 all-time against New Mexico State and have split a pair of meetings against Utah State, but have never faced Davidson, Hawai'i, Miami or USC.
The Blue Raiders have proven to be a tough team to beat in tournament play, going 7-1 in tournament games in 2015-16. MT won a pair of titles a season ago, sweeping through the Great Alaska Shootout and the Conference USA Championship before defeating No. 2 Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Raiders begin play in the 2016 Challenge in Music City Friday evening at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
Additional information can be found on the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic's official website at www.HawaiianAirlinesDiamondHeadClassic.com.
MT will be joined by Miami (FL), Southern California, Akron, Davidson, Hawai'i, New Mexico State and Utah State. Games will be played on December 22, 23 and 25 with every team playing one game each day at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.
"The Diamond Head Classic has historically been a tournament that everybody in college basketball watches over the Christmas holidays," Head Coach Kermit Davis said. "They've had some unbelievable tournament champions over the years and we're excited about being in the field.
"It's a field that has a lot of NCAA Tournament teams and to be able to go over there and play nationally televised games on ESPN is going to be great for our program."
Middle is one of four teams in the field that participated in the 2016 NCAA Tournament with Miami, USC and Hawai'i also going dancing. Akron, Davidson and New Mexico State each made a 2016 postseason appearance as well in the NIT.
"You've got tournament teams like Davidson, USC, Miami, Akron who we are very familiar with, Utah State where I used to coach and has a great basketball tradition, Hawai'i who was an NCAA Tournament team last year and New Mexico State who has been an NCAA Tournament team over the last five or six years," Davis added. "It's a really good field and a great RPI tournament for us."
Of the seven fellow participants in the 2017 Diamond Head Classic, four of them will be first time opponents for Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders hold a 17-10 advantage all-time against Akron, are 3-5 all-time against New Mexico State and have split a pair of meetings against Utah State, but have never faced Davidson, Hawai'i, Miami or USC.
The Blue Raiders have proven to be a tough team to beat in tournament play, going 7-1 in tournament games in 2015-16. MT won a pair of titles a season ago, sweeping through the Great Alaska Shootout and the Conference USA Championship before defeating No. 2 Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Raiders begin play in the 2016 Challenge in Music City Friday evening at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
Additional information can be found on the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic's official website at www.HawaiianAirlinesDiamondHeadClassic.com.
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