After the brackets were announced earlier this week, the game times have been set at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii. The Miami Hurricanes will tip off at 1 AM ET (that’s not a misprint) against host Hawaii on Saturday, December 21.
This is a big departure for Miami Hurricanes fans who were able to make the three and half hour drive up the Florida Turnpike for last season’s in-season tournament in Orlando.
This coming season Miami will play their in season exempt tournament nearly a month later and 5,000 miles away. Miami went 1-2 in the Advocare Invitational. They defeated Stanford then lost to Iowa State and Florida.
In the Diamond Head Classic, if they can defeat Hawaii, Miami will face the winner of Davidson and New Mexico State in the second round. The Semifinal in the bottom half of the bracket will take place at 10 PM ET on December 23.
The top half of the bracket features Middle Tennessee against Princeton and USC against Akron. Those games will take place and 5:30PM ET and 7:30PM ET on the 22 to begin the tournament.
The tournament takes off Christmas Eve. They resume the Christmas Day. The Championship game is scheduled for 6 pm ET on Christmas Day.
This is Miami’s second trip to the Diamond Head Classic in its ninth season. The Hurricanes defeated Hawaii in a first round game in the 2012 Diamond Head Classic in the team’s only other meeting.
The Hurricanes lost their next two games in Hawaii that season. They lost their Semifinal game to Arizona. Indiana State defeated the Hurricanes in overtime for third place.
Miami played a four game home and home with Davidson from 1989 through 1992. After winning the first three games from 89-91, the Hurricanes dropped the 1992 game. Miami has never played New Mexico State.
Busting Brackets
The expectation from the tournament will be that USC and Miami are on a collision course to meet in the championship game. Both teams are ultra talented and likely to be ranked in the preseason top 25.
Miami has only met USC twice. The Trojans won both meetings in in 1990 and 1992. USC will face Akron in their opening game. The Zips went 26-6 last season and dominated the MAC.
Miami defeated Akron in their lone meetings in 2010 and 2014. Princeton and Middle Tennessee State will tipoff the tournament.
The Blue Raiders and Tigers have been the upset darlings of NCAA Tournaments past and present. Will they be able to revisit the ghosts of Christmas past in Hawaii?
Middle Tennessee State won their first round games in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney will be happy if his teams do not face MTSU in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
The 15th seeded Blue Raiders upset second seeded Michigan State in the 2016 Tournament. This past season they defeated fifth Minnesota as a 12 seed. Middle Tennessee and Miami have never played.
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Miami’s only meeting with Princeton came two seasons ago. The Hurricanes earned a 76-64 victory in December. Miami and Princeton will play their second game on December 2 at American Airlines Arena in the Hoop Hall Invitational.