Game Notes
Tournament Bracket
Tournament Website

HONOLULU – The University of Hawaii men's basketball team returns to the court for the first time in two weeks when it hosts the eighth annual Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, Dec. 22, 23 & 25 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
 
The Rainbow Warriors (4-5) face Illinois State (6-3) on Thursday, Dec. 22 at 8:30 p.m in the night cap of the opening day. Joining UH and Illinois State in this year's field are San Diego State, San Francisco, Southern Miss, Stephen F. Austin, Tulsa, and Utah.
 
This will be the third straight year that UH plays a Missouri Valley Conference team in the Classic and second straight year they open with an MVC squad. UH beat Northern Iowa in the opening round last season and fell to Wichita State in OT in the 2014 semis. The Redbirds, who are picked to finish second in league, have won five of their last six games, including an 81-72 home win over Saint Joseph's on Dec. 18.
 
UH meanwhile is looking to rebound after losses to Seton Hall and Princeton in the FS1 Pearl Harbor Invitational, Dec. 6 & 7. It marked the first time under second-year head coach Eran Ganot the UH dropped back-to-back games. The team has had time to prepare with 14-day span between games, its longest such hiatus since an 18-day break during the 2003-04 season.
 
Senior transfer Noah Allen continues to lead the team in scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg) and bounced back from a scoreless effort vs. Seton Hall with a team-high 19 points in UH's contest vs. Princeton.

Game 10 Tipoff Notes
Who: Hawai'i (4-5, 0-0 Big West) vs. Illinois State (6-3, 0-0 Missouri Valley)
When: Dec. 22, 2016  
Time: 8:30 p.m. HT
Where: Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) - Honolulu, HI
Television: ESPN2. Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play) and Dino Gaudio (color) on the call.
Streaming Video: ESPN3
Radio: ESPN 1420 AM. Bobby Curran (play-by-play) and Jeff Portnoy (color) on the call.
Audio Webcast: espn1420am.com
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
Coaches: Eran Ganot is in his second season at UH (32-11). Dan Muller is in his fifth season at Illinois State (82-61).