Southern Miss basketball to play in Hawaii tournament

The Southern Miss men's basketball team will be one of eight participants in the eighth annual Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in December.

The games will take place Dec. 22, 23 and 25 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu and be hosted by the ESPN Family of Networks.

“We are so excited to be a part of the Diamond Head Classic,” USM coach Doc Sadler said in a press release. “It will be great exposure for our basketball program against some strong competition on a big stage. Additionally, it is an awesome opportunity to be playing on ESPN during the holiday time where a lot of people will be watching.”

The Golden Eagles begin their play at 7 p.m. on Dec. 22 against San Diego State on ESPN2.

Half of the member schools (Hawaii, Tulsa, Stephen F. Austin and Utah) were in the 2016 NCAA Tournament field. Illinois State and San Francisco round out the bracket.

Southern Miss made its only other trip to Hawaii in 1998, winning two of its three contests (Hofstra, VCU) at the Honolulu Thanksgiving Shootout.

The multi-day, destination event will feature 12 games over three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracketed-tournament format. Six of the 12 match-ups, including the championship game, will be showcased on ESPN2. ESPNU will carry four games, and two will be exclusive to ESPN3.

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Southern Miss basketball to play in Hawaii tournament."