BYU to play Harvard in Diamond Head Classic Opener

2015 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Bracket

HONOLULU – The bracket for the 2015 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic – to be played Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, Dec. 22, 23, and 25 in Honolulu – has been set. BYU basketball will open the Diamond Head Classic against Harvard on Dec. 22 at 11:30 a.m. HST on ESPNU.

The six other teams in the field include Auburn, New Mexico, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma, Washington State and host Hawai‘i. The winner of Auburn vs. New Mexico will take on the winner of BYU vs. Harvard.

BYU leads the all-time series against Harvard 1-0. The Cougars won the first meeting between the two programs 113-72 on Dec. 21, 1978 in Provo. Auburn and BYU have played once with the Tigers winning at home, 62-43 on Nov. 23, 1998. BYU and New Mexico were long-time conference foes before the Cougars moved to the West Coast Conference in 2011. BYU owns a 76-55 record against the Lobos.

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. Three of the 12 matchups, including the championship game, will be showcased on ESPN2. A minimum of seven games will be carried on ESPNU with two additional games to be shown on ESPNU or ESPN3.

Entering its seventh year, the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic will again be played at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, where it has become a holiday tradition on the island of O’ahu.

The tournament tips off Tuesday, with Auburn (Southeastern Conference) pitted against New Mexico (Mountain West) at 9:30 a.m. HT on ESPNU, immediately followed by BYU (West Coast) versus Harvard (Ivy League) at 11:30 a.m. on ESPNU.

Tuesday’s evening session will feature Oklahoma (Big 12) versus Washington State (Pac-12) at 6 p.m. on ESPNU and wrap with a battle between Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley) and tournament host Hawai’i (Big West) at 8 p.m. Tuesday on ESPNU.

Four of the participating teams appeared in the 2014-15 postseason, including BYU, Harvard, Northern Iowa and Oklahoma.

For more information, please visit www.HawaiianAirlinesDiamondHeadClassic.com.