Initial Reactions to the 2018 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Bracket
On July 11, 2018, the bracket for the 2018 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic was published (displayed in the following YouTube video).
Personally, I am thrilled by the way that the bracket played out for Rhody MBB. In the first round, they draw the Bucknell Bison, a team that consistently dominates the Patriot League. The Bison have won their conference's regular season title in seven of their last eight seasons. Additionally, they have gone to the NCAA tournament in the past two consecutive seasons.
The Rams would love to play as many NCAA tournament-caliber teams as they can and if they are able to get past the Bison in the first round, they will likely draw the TCU Horned Frogs. Jamie Dixon's team from Texas will be viewed as the favorite in this Hawaiian tournament. TCU won the NIT in 2017 and they were a #6 seed in the 2018 NCAA tournament, even after losing Jaylen Fisher for the season. Moreover, they will likely be a contender in the Big 12 this season. TCU is the team that Rhode Island will want to match up with the most.
Finally, David Cox's team could draw a decent matchup in the championship game of the holiday tournament against a team like Colorado or UNLV. Overall, I suspect that whichever team (hopefully Rhode Island) wins the semifinal game on the right side of the bracket will be crowned the champions of the 2018 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Bracket.
