11:53am | Pairings for the 2012 Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu were recently released and Long Beach State’s men’s basketball team, the 49ers, will face defending Atlantic 10 champion Xavier in the first round of the tournament on Dec. 22.  

The 49ers and Musketeers will meet in the third game of the day with the winner advancing to play the winner of the late game pitting the Auburn Tigers against the host Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.  Long Beach State’s game with Xavier, which will be televised on ESPNU, hasn’t been given a starting time yet.  

The Diamond Head Classic is an eight-team tournament featuring three teams (Clemson, Kansas State, Xavier) that played in the NCAA Tournament last season, as well as three others (Long Beach State, UTEP, Hawaii) that qualified for one of the other NCAA postseason tournaments.  Teams will play three games in four days, with the opening round taking place on Dec. 22, the semifinals on Dec. 23 and the championship round on Dec. 25.

The first-round game between Long Beach State and Xavier will also feature a matchup of two of college basketball’s top point guards.  LBSU’s Casper Ware is the reigning Big West Conference Player of the Year, as well as the league’s defensive player of the year and an honorable mention All-America pick.  He led the 49ers to the Big West Conference regular season championship with a 14-2 record in 2010-11 while averaging 17.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Xavier’s Tu Holloway was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and a third-team All-American after averaging 19.7 points and 5.4 assists per game during the 2010-11 season.  He pushed the Musketeers to a league championship with a 15-1 record.  

With the addition of the Xavier game, the 49ers are guaranteed to play eight games against teams that qualified for the 2011 NCAA Tournament, and could play as many as 10 depending on how the Diamond Head Classic plays out.  The 49ers will also play at least five teams that competed in the other three NCAA postseason tournaments (NIT, CBI, CIT), and could play seven if they face Hawaii and UTEP in the Diamond Head Classic.

Long Beach State will open its season on Nov. 12 at the Walter Pyramid against Idaho on homecoming