Miami Set For 2017 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic

The University of Miami will join seven other schools in the 2017 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, which will be played Friday, Saturday and Monday, Dec. 22, 23 and 25, 2017 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. The field for the eighth annual event also includes Akron, Davidson, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, USC, Utah State and tournament host school Hawai‘i.

The Hurricanes last played in the Diamond Head Classic in 2012-13, when Miami went 1-2 in the event, but then went on to play in the NCAA Sweet 16 at the end of the year. In 2012, the Canes downed Hawai’i, 73-58, but then lost to No. 4/5 Arizona, 69-50, and Indiana State, 57-55, in overtime.

The 2017 edition of the classic features four teams that participated in the 2016 NCAA Championship, including Miami, Middle Tennessee, USC and Hawai‘i. Akron, Davidson and New Mexico State competed in postseason play at the 2016 NIT.

The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, an eight-team men’s college basketball tournament, will feature 12 games through three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through the bracket. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in the championship game on the final day of the tournament. Previous tournament champions of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic include USC (2009), Butler (2010), Kansas State (2011), Arizona (2012), Iowa State (2013), George Washington (2014) and Oklahoma (2015).

The family-friendly tournament includes three days of tournament play, practices, events and travel experiences unique to the islands of Hawai‘i. Additional information can be found on the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic’s official Web site at www.HawaiianAirlinesDiamondHeadClassic.com. The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic is one of 11 owned-and-operated basketball events by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN.

Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian® has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past 12 years (2004-2015) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and Zagat have all ranked Hawaiian the highest of all domestic airlines serving Hawai‘i.

Now in its 87th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai‘i’s biggest and longest-serving airline, as well as the largest provider of passenger air service from its primary visitor markets on the U.S. Mainland. Hawaiian offers non-stop service to Hawai‘i from more U.S. gateway cities (11) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 160 jet flights daily between the Hawaiian Islands, with a total of more than 200 daily flights system-wide.

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow updates on Twitter about Hawaiian (@HawaiianAir) and its special fare offers (@HawaiianFares), and become a fan on its Facebook page (Hawaiian Airlines).

ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 13 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

Collegiate Basketball
AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic presented by Corona (Uncasville, Conn.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); PK80 (Portland, Ore.); State Farm Armed Forces Classic (Honolulu); State Farm Champions Classic (New York City); Tire Pros Invitational (Orlando, Fla.) and Wooden Legacy (Orange County, Calif.)

For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.