Oregon State Basketball: A Deeper Look at the Diamond Head Classic Bracket
The Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu has announced the bracket for the 2024 edition of the regular-season tournament held at the University of Hawaii, and the Beavers have a really interesting first game to tip things off.
🏀 The bracket is set 🏀
— Oregon State Hoops (@BeaverMBB) August 22, 2024
We will open the 2024 Diamond Head Classic by taking on Charleston on Dec. 22!#GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/pe1KgBqyYf
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In round one, Oregon State will take on College of Charleston, a program that has had sustained success over the last couple of years under Pat Kelsey, though he left for Louisville this offseason. Their new coach, Chris Mack, has had previous stints at Xavier and Louisville in the past and will bring real experience to a program that has been hot as of late, looking to continue the momentum.
The other first-round matchups will be: Loyola-Chicago versus Oakland, Nebraska versus Murray State, and Charlotte versus Hawaii. The winner of Loyola and Oakland will play against the winner of Oregon State's game, setting up an intriguing second round.
The schools involved in that matchup have had success in recent years – Oakland upset John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats last season in the NCAA Tournament; Loyola-Chicago had a Sweet 16 appearance in 2020-21; Charleston has been to the tourney two years in a row; Nebraska last season had its highest seed in the tournament since 1993; Murray State is just two seasons removed from 31 regular-season wins.
This tournament will be a good litmus test for the Beavers this year, as they will play against a slate of teams that, while talented, are not in the same tier as the Dukes or Alabamas of the world. Playing Charleston with a new head coach, albeit one with real clout in college basketball, will mean they're playing against a new team with a new system. This is an advantage for the Beavers, who have continuity from a coaching standpoint going back to last year.
Should they advance, the tournament only gets more interesting. Hopefully, the Beavers can take down Mack's Charleston Cougars and move on to the next round.
Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.