ESPN Events says Diamond Head Classic college basketball tournament has been called off for 2025

By Canadian Press on February 25, 2025.

HONOLULU (AP) — ESPN Events says the Diamond Head Classic, an eight-team tournament that traditionally ended on Christmas Day, will not be played next season.

It’s not clear if the tournament will resume in the future. A statement on the tournament website Tuesday said the Hawaii-based event has been paused and will not happen in 2025.

ESPN Events, which operates the tournament, said last year that it was planning to hold the 2025 event over Thanksgiving week and add a women’s tournament for the first time.

“We appreciate our many partners and fans who have supported us through the years and look forward to future opportunities,” the statement read.

Nebraska won the tournament this season, beating Oregon State in the final.

The Diamond Head Classic has been played annually since 2009, with the exception of 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Stanford-Vanderbilt title-game matchup was called off because of virus-related issues with the Cardinal. Vanderbilt was awarded the crown.

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The Associated Press