My anticipation for college basketball to begin is getting stronger by the day. I got caught up and didn't get a chance to post this yeasterday. Here is my preview for the early season tournaments that Miami, North Carolina, and North Carolina State are participating in.
Miami
Holiday Hoops Classic
Miami is probably in the weakest tournament of all the ACC teams. The Hurricanes will participate in the Holiday Hoops Classic with (hold your breath) Stetson, Rice, Oral Roberts, Arkansas-Little Rock, and Akron.
Oral Roberts and Akron are good programs, but the rest... not so much. Stetson, Rice, and Arkansas Little Rock combined to go 23-67 last year.
While Akron went 24-11 last season, they still only made the CBI. Yes, a schedule so weak that they can't even make the NIT! Plus, they lost three of their starters who together averaged 25.3 ppg. Don't let Akron's record last year fool you.
Oral Roberts was 20-13 last year and has been to a couple NCAA Tournaments in the previous years. But they're still from the Summit league. A league that has only been to 13 NCAA Tournament games ever. The ACC has been to 613.
How Miami Will Fare: There are absolutely NO excuses if Miami loses this tournament. Miami should be kicked out of the Atlantic Coast Conference if they don't win this tournament. Durand Scott will be lightyears better then every player there- as are the Hurricanes compared to every other team.
Tournament Prediction: MIAMI MIAMI MIAMI.
North Carolina
Puerto Rico Tip Off
This tournament will actually be competitive, unlike the Holiday Hoops Classic. The Puerto Rico Tip Off, which will take place November 18-21, brings another competitive field together. This year's tournament will consist of Davidson, Hofstra, Minnesota, Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky and West Virginia.
West Virginia definitely won't be as good as they were last year, obviously. Getting used to no more Da'Sean Butler will be a hard thing, but the Mountaineers will still be a good team. They still return the majority of the lineup from a team that went to the Final Four.
Vanderbilt will definitely be looking to redeem themselves this year. They were selected as a 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament- only to be upset in the first round by 13 seed Murray State. Losing Jermaine Beal and AJ Oglivy will be a real struggle with this year's team- but you can't take them lightly.
Minnesota returns with three very talented players this year after a late season surge last year. They'll look to build off the great ending to the season last year, and this tournament would be a great place to regain that momentum.
Davidson has been the same since Stephen Curry left. I expect that to hold true this year, too. Hofstra is middle of the pack in the CAA, which means no need to worry about them. And, come on, it's Nebraska basketball. Don't expect anything from the Huskers on the hardwood.
Western Kentucky could be the sleeper in this tournament. They're clearly the best team in the Sun Belt, they'll be lead by an excellent player in Steffphon Pettigrew, and the Hilltoppers are capable of beating you if you don't take them seriously.
How UNC Will Fare: While I personally think North Carolina is really overrated, they're still a good team. But it sounds like everyone is basing the Tar Heel's season on Harrison Barnes. From as much hype as he's getting, you'd think he's the next Michael Jordan. I'm pretty sure Barnes is as overrated as his team- but North Carolina could still win this tournament.
Tournament Prediction: West Virginia plays Western Kentucky in the championship game. West Virginia wins it. North Carolina will stub their toe early in the tournament.
North Carolina State
Charleston Classic
The Charleston Classic doesn't bring in a big name field, but all the teams are very solid, and it will be hard for any team to win it. This year's tournament includes the following teams: Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, George Mason, Georgetown, North Carolina State, and Wofford. The tournament takes place November 18-21. Let's take a look at what NC State will be competing with this year.
Looking over the list, it's obvious Georgetown is going to be the Wolfpack's biggest competition. Austin Freeman will try to lead the Hoyas back to the success they had last season. Having Freeman back is huge, because he impressed me a lot more then Greg Monroe (now in the NBA) did. The Hoyas will have their first round loss to Ohio as motivation all year, too.
A lot of small school teams pull off upsets because the Goliath they're trying to knock off isn't taking them seriously. Unfortunately, George Mason won't have this advantage again for a long time. While they have a good team, nobody will take them lightly because every team will first think of their magical Final Four run when they hear they're playing George Mason. But the Patriots do return a good team this year.
Wofford has a chance to make some serious noise this year, much like Cornell last year. They return the core of a team that went to the NCAA Tournament last season, and return seven of their top eight scorers. They're the Virginia Tech of the Southern Conference. Watch out for Wofford (sort of.)
While Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, and Charlotte are all solid teams, they're not there yet. They're still average small conference teams, and it's hard to get somewhere like that in college basketball. They'll struggle in this tournament.
How NC State Will Fare: I really like the Wolfpack's chances in this tournament They've got a great team, and really only one team is standing in there way. I think it's very likely that NC State defends the ACC crown in this tournament (Miami won it last year, and Clemson the year before.)
Tournament Prediction: Georgetown plays NC State in the championship. NC State wins en route to a very successful season.
Comment your thoughts below, and thanks for reading!
