College basketball has been back for close to two weeks now, and in a weird way, it’s already starting to feel like March. We’ve already seen some very thrilling finishes along with some upsets that immediately shook up the preseason college basketball rankings. In what seems like an effort to give fans a prelude to March Madness, a multitude of teams will participate in basketball tournaments starting in late November that cover the Thanksgiving holiday. So, if you need to get away from family for a while and don’t want to watch the brutal primetime NFL matchup between the two worst teams in the NFC East, college hoops will have your back. These are the top five tournaments that will shake up the rankings in the first month of the season.
#5: Advocare Invitational:
No, this tournament doesn’t feature any top ten powerhouse teams, but what is does have, is a lot of schools that can easily make a case for being a March Madness contender at the end of the year. West Virginia leads the pack as the favorite to win the invitational in front teams such as Missouri, St. Johns, Oregon State and Nebraska. Led by top draft prospect Michael Porter Jr, the Missouri Tigers likely pose the biggest threat to the Mountaineers’ chances of winning the Invitational, however, their recent blowout loss to Utah only hurts their chances at winning this tournament. St. Johns will definitely play the role as the sleeper team. Look for sophomores Marcus LoVett and Shamorie Ponds to have strong showings in Orlando this week. To sum things up, this is West Virginia’s tournament to lose. There are plenty of inexperienced teams that will likely be unable to handle West Virginia’s strong press defense. Also, the Mountaineers wouldn’t face any true talent until the championship game. It would surprise me to see any other team hoisting the trophy at the end of the tournament.
Winner: West Virginia Mountaineers
Teams: Missouri, Long Beach State, St. John’s, Oregon State, UCF, Nebraska, West Virginia, Marist
#4: CBE Hall Of Fame Classic:
This is one of the most underrated early season tournaments in college basketball. Last night featured two very thrilling games between Creighton and UCLA along with Wisconsin vs Baylor. First off, let’s address the elephant in the room. Creighton is off to an extremely hot start and is playing like a top 25 team, actually, scratch that. They are looking like a top ten team. They dominated Northwestern at Allstate Arena and then defeated one of the best teams in the Pac-12, UCLA. Marcus Foster has lead the pack for the Blue Jays, while Mitchell Ballock has specialized in the three ball for Creighton. For this team to stay hot and crack the top 25, they need to beat Baylor tonight to win the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. The Baylor Bears are one of those teams that have it all. They have the size down low, the shooters around the perimeter, and of course, the stellar defense that can contain the opposition. Senior Guard Manu Lecomte is the most productive offensive player averaging 20.7 points per game this season. He shoots well beyond the ark, and when he misses, he has Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. below the basket who cleans up his mistakes. Baylor will be a dominant team down the stretch, but for now Creighton is playing lights out basketball and will not be stopped. The Blue Jays will shock the remainder of the field tomorrow night and become CBE champions.
Winner: Creighton Blue Jays
Teams: Creighton, Baylor, Wisconsin, UCLA
#3 Maui Jim Invitational
Every year, the Maui Jim Invitational makes it’s case for being one of the best early season basketball tournaments. This year, it features yet another stacked field with some top 25 teams along with some underrated talent. The most notable teams in this year’s tournament are #13 Notre Dame, #6 Wichita State, LSU and Marquette. There is one thing that every college basketball fan will need to watch for. That will be how Wichita State fares against top NCAA talent. Yesterday, they nearly lost to California after coming back from a double digit deficit with under five minutes, and today will face off against an even more talented Marquette team. The Golden Eagles are missing a big man that can control the paint down low, however, they are one of the best, if not the best, shooting teams in the tournament. Markus Howard and Andrew Ramsey have been stellar in the Eagles first three games and will need to make a massive impact this afternoon in order to get by Wichita State. On the other side of the bracket, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish control their own destiny. They will play LSU tomorrow and with a win, will advance to the championship. In what will likely be a final between the Shockers and Irish, it seems like Notre Dame is the more talented of the two teams and have the star player in Bonzie Colson that will put them over the edge against Wichita State.
Winner: Wichita State
Teams: Marquette, VCU, Wichita State, California, Notre Dame, Chaminade, LSU, Michigan
#2 Battle 4 Atlantis:
Even in the first round of this tournament, it is tough not to find an intriguing game. With teams such as Arizona, Purdue, Tennessee, and Villanova, not only will we see an epic championship battle, but even the semi-finals will be thrilling. The Arizona Wildcats and Villanova Wildcats headline this tournament for good reason. Players such as Allonzo Trier and Deandre Ayton have already made a big splash for Arizona, while Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and Donte DiVincenzo have played stellar basketball in their first three games for Villanova. One thing that is important to note is that neither of these teams have played anybody good. Villanova’s first test will likely come in the semifinals against Purdue or Tennessee, while Arizona will play a power 5 team in the first round. The Arizona Wildcats should make it to the championship, but won’t go back home with a trophy, and neither will Villanova. Purdue, that right, the Purdue Boilermakers will win the Battle 4 Atlantis. If there is any team in college basketball that has size, it is the Boilermakers. 7’ 2’’ bigman Isaac Haas has dominated teams in the paint and on defense. When he comes out of the game, head coach Matt Painter has nothing to worry about, he just puts in 7’ 3’’ Sophomore Matt Haarms. Purdue had a strong showing against Marquette a week ago and has scored over 100 points in their other three games. Watch for the Boilermakers to have a couple early season significant upsets and win the tournament in the Bahamas.
Winner: Purdue Boilemakers
Teams: Villanova, Western Kentucky, Purdue, Tennessee, SMU, UNI, North Carolina State, Arizona
#1 Phil Knight Invitational:
So this one was a no brainer. For the first year ever 16 teams will compete in an epic early season tournament consisting of two brackets to honor a legend that has impacted the sport of basketball so much. Phil Knight, who turns 80 this year, co-founded Nike, the brand that you see practically everywhere in basketball. The tournament itself, is like no other we’ve seen in early season college basketball. Here’s how it works. 16 teams are split up into two brackets. One called the motion, and the other called the victory bracket. Just like the other tournaments consisting of eight teams, the winners of round one will compete for the championship, while the losers will try to place 5th in the tournament. Unfortunately, the winners of each bracket won’t play each other in an epic showdown, but regardless viewers will see some incredible basketball. Here are the teams and the games you need to watch.
Motion:
When teams such as Duke, Florida, and Gonzaga are all in the same bracket, you know there will be some good games. The first round games aren’t very intriguing, but the second round has a chance to produce some blockbusters. The first potential game that I want to pinpoint is Duke Vs. Butler. Duke will likely beat Portland State, while Butler has a tougher matchup against Texas, but if both teams win, it will set up an epic rematch of one of the most exciting NCAA championships of all time. Remember the epic final game of 2010 when Gordon Heyward almost set the world on fire with a half court buzzer beater? If not, now you do.
These two teams haven’t faced off since then. Yeah, Duke is the better team, but I can assure you that Bulldog fans want nothing more than a win over a team that they lost to back in 2010, by the matter of an inch.
This bracket has the potential to create a matchup between Gonzaga and Duke, which many hoops fans are hoping to see. There are so many talented teams in this bracket and I can assure you that there will be some epic games, but when it is all settled, Duke is going to win the motion bracket. Teams like Butler, Texas, Florida and Gonzaga just don’t have it in them to defeat a team as talent as the Blue Devils are.
Winner: Duke Blue Devils
Teams: Portland State, Duke, Butler, Texas, Stanford, Florida, Gonzaga, Ohio State
Victory:
North Carolina, Michigan State, Uconn, Oregon, Oklahoma. All five of those teams are represented in one bracket and can all make a serious case for winning the tournament. Michigan State, who is looking to avenge an early season loss against Duke, will look to take the PK80 crown. They will open up against an improved Depaul team, then will play either Uconn or Oregon where they will hit their first test. Miles Bridges, however, should be to much to handle for either team. If the Spartans can limit turnovers, take high percentage shots, and get the ball to Bridges, the Victory bracket title game will be calling their name. North Carolina’s only threatening competition on their road to the championship is Oklahoma, who hasn’t played a talented team yet. Tre Young and Khadeem Lattin are the Sooners two most dangerous players, but likely won’t be enough to stop players such as Kenny Williams and Joel Barry. To put things straight, something would have to go horribly wrong to the Spartans or Tar Heels if they didn’t meet in the victory bracket championship. If this game is truly destined to happen, then predicting the result will be a coin flip. It will all depend on if Michigan State can shut down Tar Heel shooters and keep the game low scoring. This potential game could go either way, but in the end, Sparty has a bit more experience and talent. The Victory bracket will go to the Michigan State Spartans.
Winner: Michigan State
Teams: North Carolina, Portland, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Uconn, Oregon, Michigan State, Depaul
Can’t wait for March Madness? Well, here is a precursor. These are five tournaments that every college basketball fan needs to watch. Each one of them features a NCAA title contender, and some of them even feature more than one potential final four team. Blockbuster games will be created, top ten teams will battle against each other and champions will be crowned. Enough of these power six conferences playing puny schools nobody has heard of. Basketball season is well underway, but now the impactful games featuring top NCAA talent begin.
