Cayman Islands Classic moved to Florida due to COVID-19

Published 3:29 pm Thursday, July 23, 2020

The Ole Miss men’s basketball team will no longer be spending Thanksgiving week in the Caribbean.

On Wednesday it was announced the Cayman Islands Classic tournament will be moved to the Florida Panhandle due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The eight-team tournament, which included the Rebels, will now take place inside Raider Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Fla. The tournament will still be held on its original dates of Nov. 23 through 25.

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Ole Miss will play three games during the tournament. The field remains the same with Kansas State, La Salle, Miami, Nevada, Northern Iowa, Oregon State and Western Kentucky joining the Rebels in Niceville.

“I’ve had a couple of teams play in (Raider Arena), and our fans will enjoy it,” said Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis.

The Rebels have previously played in Raider Arena under Davis. During the 2018-19 season, the Rebels played two games in Niceville where they defeated Baylor before losing to Cincinnati in championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic. In 2014, the Rebels won two games to claim the Emerald Coast Classic tournament championship.

Four games will be played each day of the Cayman Island Classic with the brackets to be released at a later date.