NCAA Basketball: 2021 Diamond Head Classic preview and predictions

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 8: Trevin Knell #21 of the BYU Cougars shoots a three-pointer over RJ Eytle-Rock #5 of the Utah State Aggies during the first half December 8, 2021 at the J. Willard Marriott Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images) /

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NCAA Basketball Brigham Young Cougars mascot Cosmo the Cougar (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

The Diamond Head Classic returns to The Aloha State this NCAA Basketball season after COVID-19 forced the cancelation of the event in 2020. The tournament format consists of eight teams and will take place over the span of four days with the final round being played on Christmas Day.

The event kicks off on December 22 with four opening-round games that will all be televised on the ESPN family of networks:

Game No. 1: Liberty vs Northern Iowa – 3:00 PM ET

Game No. 2: Stanford vs Wyoming – 5:00 PM ET

Game No. 3: BYU vs South Florida – 9:30 PM ET

Game No. 4: Hawaii vs Vanderbilt – 12:00 AM ET

The second round will be played on December 23 with the Championship and consolation games taking place on December 25.

This year’s field features a strong mid-major presence, capable high-major teams, and of course the tournament hosts in Hawaii. BYU is the odds-on favorite to win the event, but almost every team could realistically upset any of the others on a given night.

While the field might not feature the Top 25 powerhouses that some of the Feast Week tournaments do, it is the last major non-conference multi-team event of the season and the only college basketball that will be played on Christmas Day. Under that light, it becomes an incredible platform to showcase several talented mid-major programs which is always a good thing for college basketball.

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