Michigan State University Athletics
Basketball Team to Play in Inagural Pearl Harbor Classic
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 26, 1998
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The 1998-99 Michigan State basketball team will venture to Hawaii where it will be one of eight teams competing in the inaugural Pearl Harbor Classic, Dec. 21(c)23, hosted by Brigham Young University and Hawaii.
The Spartans of head coach Tom Izzo, defending Big Ten regular(c)season co(c)champions and the owners of a 22(c)8 record in 1997-98, will battle the Waves of Pepperdine in the opening round on Dec. 21 starting at 1:00 pm (HST). The winner of that contest advances to the semifinals the next evening against the victor of the Texas Tech - Tulsa matchup. Other first(TM)round pairings include Alabama vs. Weber State and BYU(c)Hawaii vs. Oregon State. The championship game is slated for Dec. 23 starting at 8:00 pm (HST).
The trip to Hawaii will be MSU's third during the decade of the 1990s. The Spartans competed in the Maui Invitational in 1991 and 1995.
"We are excited to be a part of a strong field in the inaugural Pearl Harbor Classic," said Associate Head Coach Tom Crean. "Playing three games in three days will be difficult, but it's a great opportunity for our players.
"Anytime you get a chance to play three exempt games, which is something we haven't been able to do the past couple of years, it is beneficial from an experience standpoint."
The remainder of Michigan State's non(c)conference and Big Ten schedule will be released at a later date.
'PEARL HARBOR CLASSIC GAMES (1997-98 RECORDS) Session 1 Monday, Dec. 21 Game 1:Michigan State (22-8) vs. Pepperdine (17-10) 1:00 pm Game 2:Texas Tech (13-14) vs. Tulsa (19-12) 3:00 pmSession 2:Monday, Dec. 21 Game 3:Alabama (15-16) vs. Weber State (14-13) 6:00 pm Game 4:BYUH (19-7) vs. Oregon State (13-17) 8:00 pm
Session 3:Tuesday Dec. 22 Game 5:Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 1:00 pm Game 6:Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 3:00 pm
Session 4:Tuesday, Dec. 22 Game 7:Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 6:00 pm Game 8:Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 8:00 pm
Session 5:Wednesday, Dec. 23 Game 9:Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 (7th & 8th place) 1:00 pm Game 10:Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (5th & 6th place) 3:00 pm
Session 6:Wednesday, Dec. 23 Game 11:Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 (3rd & 4th place) 6:00 pm Game 12:Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (Championship) 8:00 pm
