Armed Forces Classic Matchups Named for 2015, 2016 Seasons

The college basketball regular season gets underway on Friday night. One of the marquee matchups is the latest Armed Forces Classic, which pits Louisville against Minnesota. And now the schedule for the remaining two years of the series have been announced.

Andy Katz of ESPN reports three games will be played over the next two seasons to complete the five-year cycle. Here's a list of the upcoming games:

Year	Team	Team	Location
2015	Gonzaga	Pittsburgh	Okinawa, Japan
2016	Indiana	Kansas	Honolulu, Hawaii
2016	Arizona	Michigan State	Honolulu, Hawaii

The ESPN report also included comments from several head coaches that will be involved in the future high-profile clashes. Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon summed up the thoughts of most, shifting the focus from the game to the experience itself.

"The trip will provide an opportunity for our players, coaches, administration and support staff to experience day-to-day life on an overseas military base,'' he said.

Ultimately, playing in the Armed Forces Classic is more about entertaining and saying thanks to the troops around the globe than the final result. That's why the organizers have been able to create some terrific games during the five-year experiment.

Although the 2016 doubleheader will end the current cycle, it wouldn't be a surprise to see similar games added in the future. It's a perfect way the kickoff a college basketball campaign and a good experience for everybody involved.