College Hoops Viewing Guide For Christmas Day 2016

If you’re only able to listen today, check out TuneIn’s college basketball lineup.

All times are Eastern, adjust accordingly.

Logos from SportsLogos.net.

Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Finals

	5th/6th Place Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (Southland) (5-6) vs. Utah Utes (Pac-12) (8-3) 12:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
	7th/8th Place Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (C-USA) (3-8) at Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (Big West) (4-7) approx. 3 p.m. (ESPNU)
	3rd/4th Place Tulsa Golden Hurricane (American) (6-5) vs. Illinois State Redbirds (MVC) (8-4) 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
	Championship San Diego State Aztecs (MW) (7-4) vs. San Francisco Dons (WCC) (10-2) approx. 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Fans in Honolulu will have to be prepared to say “Mele Kalikimaka!’ early and often at the Stan Sheriff Center, where action begins bright and early with a 7:30 a.m. local tip between Utah and Stephen F. Austin, a rematch of the Utes’ 57-50 win in the 2015 NCAA Round of 64. Both squads now look to be in the position of needing an auto bid to reach this year’s field (though Utah could conceivably get enough quality Pac-12 wins to grab an at-large from a power-conference heavy pool).

Hosts Hawai’i, a team banned from this postseason by the NCAA, faces Southern Miss., a squad that self-imposed postseason bans in each of the last two seasons, in the second morning tip. The loser will end this event with an 0-3 mark.

The third-place game between Tulsa and Illinois State is a rematch of a December 7th game, won by the home-standing Golden Hurricane 70-68.

Finally, the championship game isn’t the San Diego State-Utah tilt most expected, but three-happy San Francisco (6th in the country in three-point percentage and 7th in effective FG percentage per KenPom) might just make things competitive. And if the Dons defeat the Aztecs? In that case, the West Coast Conference season might have just gotten more interesting.

With just one game on tomorrow’s schedule (Morgan State-Loyola Marymount), I’ll be back on Tuesday with a preview of the first day and night of power conference play for this season.

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