Northeastern, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, has been named as the final team in the inaugural Diamond Head Classic basketball tournament.

The tournament, which is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, will be played Dec. 22, 23 and 25 at the Stan Sheriff Center, sandwiched around the Dec. 24 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, another ERT property.

The rest of the eight-team field, which was announced previously, is: host Hawai'i, Southern California, St. Mary's, Nevada-Las Vegas, College of Charleston, Southern Methodist and Western Michigan.

Five of the eight teams played in the postseason this year.

The Boston-based Huskies of Northeastern were 19-13, 12-6 in conference, and advanced to the College Basketball Invitational. They return four of their top five scorers.

Northeastern fills the tournament opening left when Georgia chose not to commit. The Bulldogs had been tentatively expected to play until a coaching change in April. New coach Mark Fox, formerly of Nevada, said the Bulldogs had too many non-conference road games.

Tournament pairings are expected to be announced later this month.

The tournament takes the holiday slot on the UH schedule previously occupied by the Rainbow Classic for 44 years. The Rainbow Classic will become a four-team tournament and move to an earlier date, possibly in November, though UH has yet to announce its schedule.