MANHATTAN – The Cayman Islands Classic basketball tournament, once scheduled for Nov. 23-25 in Niceville, Fla., has been canceled due to the NCAA changing the start date of the season.
“Obviously, we are disappointed that we won’t be able to compete in the Cayman Islands Classic this season,” said head coach Bruce Weber. “It was a really competitive field and would have been a great challenge for our team. We look forward to being a part of the tournament in a future season.”
The NCAA announced on Sept. 16 that the men’s basketball season would be pushed back from its original start date of Nov. 10 to Nov. 25 because on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
K-State was scheduled to play three games in the fourth annual event beginning with Oregon State in the first round on Nov. 23. The Wildcats would have faced either La Salle or Ole Miss on Nov. 24 before playing a third game on Nov. 25 against one of the remaining teams, which included reigning Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa, Miami (Fla.), Nevada, and Western Kentucky.
“Unfortunately, we had to cancel the tournament because of several variables, including the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Joe Wright, Chief Executive Officer for Caymax Sports Ltd. “We are disappointed because we had an incredible lineup and we were excited to watch these talented teams compete. We look forward to welcoming teams back to the Cayman Islands in 2021.”
Before its cancellation, the tournament had already been relocated to Raider Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida from its original location in George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands because of travel restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic.
The 2020-21 men’s basketball schedule will be released at a future date.