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Diamond Head Classic: Previewing 2017 Christmas Day action

By Lukas Harkins

HONOLULU, HI - DECEMBER 23: Head coach Andy Enfield of the USC Trojans watches the action during the first half of the semi-final game of the Diamond Head Classic against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at the Stan Sheriff Center on December 23, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI - DECEMBER 23: Head coach Andy Enfield of the USC Trojans watches the action during the first half of the semi-final game of the Diamond Head Classic against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at the Stan Sheriff Center on December 23, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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The Diamond Head Classic has been a great holiday tournament this season. What does each game on Christmas Day look like this year?

While the rest of college basketball takes the day off on Christmas Day, the Diamond Head Classic will take the stage as the only games of the day. While everyone is opening presents and spending time with their families, these eight teams will be participating in the last day of this tournament.

For your in-the-background viewing, here is a quick look at the four games of the Diamond Head Classic that will be played on Dec. 25.

Game 1: Akron Zips (6-4) vs. Davidson Wildcats (4-6) at 12:30 p.m. ET

Both of these teams are off to underwhelming starts and they meet in the seventh-place game of this tournament. Even though this is the case, each team will be looking to fly away from Hawaii with a victory. For Akron, they are led by sophomore Daniel Utomi (18.6 points, 6.5 rebounds) and senior Malcolm Duvivier (12.5 points, 3.8 assists) as one of the best shooting duos in the country. For the season, they are 64/149 (43.0%) from beyond the 3-point arc.

On the Davidson side of this game, they are led by Peyton Aldridge, one of the best scorers in the nation. In the Wildcats’ first 10 games of the season, the 6’7″ senior is putting up 22.4 points per game. In addition, Jon Axel Gudmundsson drops home 15.5 points while dishing out 5.4 assists per game.

Prediction: Davidson 79, Akron 71

Game 2: Princeton Tigers (6-7) vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (8-3) at 2:30 p.m. ET

Juniors Devin Cannady (17.6 points) and Myles Stephens (15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds) lead the way for Princeton despite the fact that they are off to an underwhelming start to the season. The Tigers entered the year as a favorite to win the Ivy League and although they have shown potential in games such as their road win over USC, they also have losses to Saint Joseph’s and Lehigh. As for their team philosophy, Princeton is a disciplined defensive team that can stifle their opponents.

Hawaii is another strong defensive team. The Rainbow Warriors have seven players that are averaging more than five points per game but nobody is putting up more than 12 per game. As an offense, they are scoring less than 70 points per game. In order for Hawaii to win this game, they are going to need to shut down both Cannady and Stephens of Princeton. This will be a tall task in what could be an extremely low-scoring game.

Prediction: Princeton 64, Hawaii 56

Game 3: USC Trojans (8-4) vs. New Mexico State Aggies (11-2) at 6:00 p.m. ET

In the championship game of this tournament, USC is looking to build up their resume a tad more. In the preseason, the Trojans were picked to be a top-15 team in the country and they are yet to live up to that expectation. Junior forward Chimezie Metu has been their best player by far so far, putting up a remarkable 19.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. His presence inside makes the Trojans a dangerous team if the rest of the roster figures things out.

On the other side, New Mexico State is the favorite to come out of the WAC this season thanks to their awesome play in the early going. Not only are the Aggies 11-2 but they picked up a great win over Miami in their last game. Seniors Zach Lofton (18.2 points, 5.2 rebounds) and Jemerrio Jones (10.2 points, 10.8 rebounds) lead the way for the Aggies and will need to play well to take down the Trojans.

Prediction: USC 82, New Mexico State 74

Game 4: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (8-3) vs. Miami Hurricanes (10-1) at 8:30 p.m. ET

Miami may have lost their last game to New Mexico State but that will likely cause them to come out with immense energy in this one. The Hurricanes are a top-25 team from the ACC and are led by four double-digit scorers. Ja’Quan Newton, Dewan Huell, Dejan Vasiljevic, and Bruce Brown are all off to solid starts this season to lead the team on offense. Entering this game, the Hurricanes will need to focus on better ball movement, which has been a problem as of late for the team.

On the other side of this game, Middle Tennessee is one of the best mid-majors in the country. Nick King (22.9 points, 6.9 rebounds) is an exciting player on the floor and the leader of the Blue Raiders. In addition, Giddy Potts (12.4 points) remains of the better playmakers in mid-major basketball. The Blue Raiders have enough talent to compete with anyone in the country but they still need to play well to defeat Miami.

Prediction: Miami 78, Middle Tennessee 74

Next: Ranking the top conferences

In the end, this will be a very solid slate of games for Christmas Day. Many of the teams playing in this tournament have a chance to be NCAA Tournament teams and this event has given every team a good shot at a quality win or two. Non-conference play is coming to an end and the Diamond Head Classic over the holiday weekend is a great way to close it.

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