Lincoln — The final pieces of Nebraska’s 2024-25 non-conference schedule were released Thursday afternoon, as ESPN Events announced the pairings for the 2024 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The 15th annual event takes place from Dec. 22-25 from the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
Nebraska will open the three-day event against Murray State on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 8 p.m. (central), as the matchup will be carried on ESPN2.
The Racers are coached by Steve Prohm, who is in seventh season at the school, as he served as head coach from 2011 to 2015 before returning to lead the Murray State program in 2022-23. The Racers, who are in the Missouri Valley Conference, return a pair of starters and five players who saw action in at least 15 games last season. JaCobi Wood is the Racers’ top returnee, as the 6-foot-2 senior guard averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Prohm also coached at Iowa State from 2015 to 2021.
The Dec. 22 contest will be the third meeting between the two schools and second on a neutral site, as the teams met in the title game of the 1990 San Juan Shootout.
Nebraska makes its second Diamond Head Classic appearance after going 2-1 in 2014. The Huskers return seven lettererwinners and three starters from a team that finished 23-11 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. The Huskers are led by seniors Brice Williams, who averaged 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and Juwan Gary, who averaged 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. The Huskers also gain the services of seven transfers who have combined for 264 starts and 3,478 career points, 1,753 rebounds and 759 assists at their previous schools. Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg, the reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year, won the event when he was at Iowa State in 2013.
The Huskers will face either Hawai’i or Charlotte depending on the result of the Nebraska-Murray State contest and that game will be carried on ESPN2. The other four teams in the bracket are the College of Charleston, Loyola-Chicago, Oakland and Oregon State. A complete tournament and broadcast schedule is listed below.
Tickets are expected to go on sale in October. Visit the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic web site at hawaiianairlinesdiamondheadclassic.com to sign up for special email offers and to find more information about the tournament. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X. Support for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic is provided by Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through the Signature Events Program.
