Tops to play in 2020 Cayman Islands Classic
Published 1:22 pm Wednesday, December 11, 2019
- Western Kentucky Hilltoppers head coach Rick Stansbury during WKU's 86-79 win in overtime over Arkansas on Saturday, December 7, 2019, at E. A. Diddle Arena. (Austin Anthony/photo@bgdailynews.com)
Western Kentucky’s men’s basketball team will compete next season in the 2020 Cayman Islands Classic, the program announced Wednesday.
The Hilltoppers will be part of a challenging field in the fourth annual event, which takes place Nov. 23-25 at John Gray Gymnasium in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
Joining WKU in the field are Kansas State, Oregon State, Miami, Ole Miss, Nevada, Northern Iowa and La Salle.
The eight-team tournament is single-elimination, with each team playing three games. Opponents and a full bracket will be released at a later date.
WKU is 23-20 all time against the teams in the field. Oregon State would be the only first-time opponent for the Hilltoppers.
Four different Power Five conferences are represented among the field. WKU is 8-4 against Power Five competition since the start of the 2017-18 season.
Located in the western Caribbean Sea, an hour from Miami, the Cayman Islands comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica.
This will be the latest in a string of tropical locales for the Hilltoppers. After taking a foreign tour to Costa Rica in August 2017, WKU has competed in the Bahamas, Myrtle Beach, S.C., and the Virgin Islands in regular-season tournaments before heading to the Cayman Islands next year.
