Clemson, which finished the regular season ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press Top 25, will be the marquee team in the 2008 Rainbow Classic.

The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team will host the 45th annual Rainbow Classic, Dec. 27 to 30 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The eight-team field will feature the Rainbow Warriors, Clemson, Colorado, Colorado State, Coppin State, George Washington, Pepperdine and Vermont.

"It's a pretty good field," said Hawai'i assistant coach Eran Ganot, who is in charge of scheduling opponents. "Clemson is a Top 25 team and they return a lot of players, so we expect them to be a Top 25 team again next season."

The Tigers had a 24-10 record this past season, and finished third in the Atlantic Coast Conference, behind North Carolina and Duke. Clemson was a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but lost in the first round to Villanova.

Coppin State also participated in the NCAA Tournament, losing the play-in game to Mount Saint Mary's.

Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash and his staff were in San Antonio last week for the Final Four. Ganot said he talked with several coaches in San Antonio about participating in future Rainbow Classics.

"League play starts the first week of January for most teams, so it makes it tough for them to come to Hawai'i in late December," Ganot said. "But we want to improve the field every year, and make the Rainbow a viable option for quality teams. Hopefully, that will lead to (a national television contract)."

The rest of the 2008-09 men's basketball schedule has yet to be completed, although the 'Bows are expected to play non-conference road games at Illinois and Oregon State in November.

AWARDS BANQUET IN WAIKIKI APRIL 17

The 2008 UH men's basketball awards banquet is scheduled for April 17 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom.

No-host cocktails will start at 5:30 p.m., with dinner and the program to follow. All the players and coaches from the 2007-08 team are expected to attend.

Tickets are $100 per person. For information, call the UH basketball office at 956-6501.