Liberty heads to Honolulu, Hawaii this week to participate in the 2021 Diamond Head Classic at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Flames will play three games over the course of four days beginning Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST against Northern Iowa on ESPNU. The eight-team classic will conclude on Christmas Day.

Alongside Liberty and Northern Iowa as part of the Diamond Head Classic is Stanford, Wyoming, BYU, South Florida, Vanderbilt, and Hawaii. The Flames and the BYU Cougars each advanced to the 2021 NCAA Tournament last season.

Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through the bracket over three days for a total of 12 games. 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, 2017), Butler (2010), Kansas State (2011), Arizona (2012), Iowa State (2013), George Washington (2014), Oklahoma (2015), San Diego State (2016), TCU (2018) and Houston (2019).

Here’s a quick preview on each of the teams competing in the Diamond Head Classic this week. Rankings are from KenPom.

#121 LIBERTY (7-4)

  • Liberty has won three straight ASUN regular season and tournament titles and boast back-to-back conference player of the year awards, including last year’s winner Darius McGhee
  • Wins: Regent, Bethune-Cookman, Maryland Eastern Shore, Missouri, Delaware State, Carver, East Carolina
  • Losses: LSU, Iona, Manhattan, Stephen F Austin

#114 NORTHERN IOWA (4-5)

  • Four-time MVC Coach of the Year Ben Jacobson leads a Northern Iowa squad that has made four NCAA Tournaments and one Sweet 16 appearance during his tenure.
  • Wins: Dubuque, St. Bonaventure, Jackson State, Marshall
  • Losses: Nicholls State, Vermont, Arkansas, Bradley, Richmond

#90 STANFORD (6-4)

  • Stanford returns a strong team in 2021-22, led by Pac-12 Most Improved Player Jaiden Delaire, sharpshooter Spencer Jones, and point guard Michael O’Connell.
  • Wins: Tarleton State, San Jose State, Valpo, North Carolina A&T, Oregon, Dartmouth
  • Losses: Santa Clara, Baylor, Colorado, Texas

#109 WYOMING (9-1)

  • Wyoming returns a majority of players from the 2020-21 team that finished 14-11. Among its wins was a road upset of eventual Pac-12 champion and NCAA Elite 8 squad Oregon State.
  • Wins: Detroit Mercy, Arkansas Pine Bluff, Washington, Grand Canyon, Hastings, Cal St. Fullerton, Denver, McNeese State, Utah Valley
  • Losses: Arizona

#24 BYU (9-2)

  • BYU has gone 44-15 overall in the last two seasons under head coach Mark Pope. He led the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament last year after 20 wins and a near-upset of top-ranked Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament finals.
  • Wins: Cleveland State, San Diego State, Oregon, Central Methodist, Texas Southern, Utah, Missouri State, Utah State, Weber State
  • Losses: Utah Valley, Creighton

#240 SOUTH FLORIDA (4-5)

  • South Florida is led by veteran head coach Brian Gregory who owns more than 300 career wins. In 2019, Gregory led the team to the best turnaround in the NCAA with a single-season school record 24 wins and the College Basketball Invitational championship.
  • Wins: Bethune Cookman, North Carolina A&T, Hampton, Austin Peay
  • Losses: Georgia Southern, Auburn, Boston College, South Carolina State, Florida

#84 VANDERBILT (6-4)

  • Vanderbilt is the only school in the nation with NBA Draft lottery picks in each of the last two years, and this year welcomes a pair of incoming freshmen to the squad, Peyton Daniels and Gabe Dorsey.
  • Wins: Alabama State, Texas State, Winthrop, PIttsburgh, Mississippi Valley State, Austin Peay
  • Losses: VCU, SMU, Temple, Loyola Chicago

#219 HAWAII (4-3)

  • Tournament host, Hawaii finished with a winning record for the fifth time in six seasons under head coach Eran Ganot, who picked up his 100th career coaching victory last season.
  • Wins: Hawaii Hilo, Pacific, Loyola Chicago, Hawaii Pacific
  • Losses: Northern Colorado, South Alabama, Santa Clara

BRACKET

Click here for a printable bracket