Last year's Old Spice Classic was stacked, as it included Gonzaga, Maryland, Tennessee, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Siena, and Georgetown (bonus points if you can name which team didn't make the tourney).
None of the fields of the six tournaments released Tuesday are that stacked, but there are still a number of excellent games:
CHARLESTON CLASSIC (Charleston, SC) 1st round Nov. 19th:
Bracket:
Best 1st round match-up: Led by Rodney Green, who averaged 17.8 ppg and 3.4 apg as a junior last year, La Salle has been pegged as a sleeper in the A-10. The Explorers get South Carolina, who lucked out with Devan Downey and Dominique Archie returning to school, in the first round.
Best potential match-up: As much as we love Penn State's Talor Battle here at BIAH, the two best teams in Charleston will be Miami and South Carolina. Both teams have talented guards (Devan Downey for USC, Durand Scott for the U) and pro prospects on the wing (Archie, DeQuan Jones), and Dwayne Collins should be ready for a breakout year for the 'Canes.
Intriguing Storylines:
BIAH Prediction: Miami wins and gets 25 and 15 from Collins as he over powers the Gamecocks inside.
PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF (San Juan, Puerto Rico) 1st round Nov. 19th:
Bracket:
Best 1st round match-up: With Xavier expected to have a bit of a down year, Dayton is the pre-season favorite to win the A-10 and will probably crack some top 25 lists thanks to their combination of athleticism and tough defense. Georgia Tech caught a break when Gani Lawal decided to return to school. Lawal and stud freshman Derrick Favors should provide the Yellow Jackets with as good of a front line as you will find, and combined with sophomore guard Iman Shumpert, Tech will be capable of putting up points in a hurry.
Best possible match-up: As much fun as it would be to see Chris Warren of Ole Miss match quicks with Kansas State's Denis Clemente, the idea of seeing Villanova play Georgia Tech, and thus Derrick Favors going toe-to-toe with fellow freshman phenom Mouphtaou Yarou, would be too much to pass up.
Intriguing Storylines:
BIAH Prediction: Villanova rolls through Tech and Ole Miss to the title.
MAUI INVITATIONAL (Maui, Hawaii) 1st round Nov. 23rd:
Bracket:
Best 1st round match-up: While this year's Maui field is much weaker than past seasons, there are still two excellent first round games. The best, however, will be between Cinci and Vandy. The Bearcats have one of the best back courts in the country with Lance Stephenson, Deonta Vaughn, and Cashmere Wright. But Vandy returns everyone, including Aussie big man AJ Ogilvy.
Best potential match-up: Maybe it is just me, but I would love to see Wisconsin play Cinci simply because of the contrasting styles.
Intriguing Storylines:
BIAH Prediction: I'm going out on a limb here - Greivis Vazquez goes nuts for three games, and the Terps bring home the Maui title.
OLD SPICE CLASSIC (Orlando, FL) 1st round Nov. 26th:
Bracket:
Best 1st round match-up: Michigan comes into this season with hype surrounding their basketball program for the first time since C-Webb rocked the maize and blue. The combination of Manny Harris, DeShawn Sims, and John Beilein's system has the Wolverines in the top 25 of most pre-season polls. Creighton, led by the talented P'Allen Stinnet, is once again expected to be at the top of the Valley.
Best potential match-up: Xavier, Marquette, and Baylor are both expected to be a bit down this year, which means that Florida State and Michigan are the only top 25 teams in this field (and in basketball, not in football - go figure). Watching to long and athletic Seminoles battle the shorter, jump-shooting Wolverines should be entertaining.
Intriguing Storylines:
BIAH Prediction: Michael Snaer provides the 'Noles with enough of a scoring punch as FSU knocks off 'Bama and Michigan en route to the championship.
76 CLASSIC (Anaheim, CA) 1st round Nov. 26th:
Bracket:
Best 1st round match-up: This is easy - Butler and Minnesota. With Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack, and Matt Howard returning, the Bulldogs are going to be top 10 in a lot of pre-season polls. But Tubby Smith is making some strides in Minnesota as he returns basically his entire roster from last season's tournament team.
Best potential match-up: Both Butler and West Virginia are potential top 10 teams. While Butler had their players do all the right things over the summer (Mack and Howard competed with Team USA's college aged team), the Mountaineers lost both of their point guards. Both Truck Bryant and Joe Mazzulla are currently suspended indefinitely.
Intriguing Storylines:
BIAH Prediction: Butler wins what is the most talented tournament field released.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The Field is set for five of the Pre-season Tournaments |
Posted by
Rob Dauster
at
12:49 PM
Labels: Preseason Tournaments
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