In-Season Tournaments

2008 BracketBusters Analysis & Predictions

Joel Welser — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:40:19 -0800

Even if there is only one game that will likely feature two teams that are worthy of at-large bids, there are still plenty of interesting match-ups and plenty of teams that we will see in March in this edition of BracketBusters. The number one goal is exposure for the teams and that exposure is good for the fans as well who can start scouting some potential NCAA Tournament teams that they may not have seen yet this year. Yet, more important than exposure is momentum. Grabbing a big win against a quality team can do great things heading into the conference tournaments.

The Good

Drake at Butler

Obviously this is the big one. Both of these teams should have all but clinched an NCAA berth by the time this game takes place, but it is a good time to take a look at two quality teams before filling in your bracket. Both teams sport the traditional mid-major look with guard-orientated teams. The difference could be Butler’s Matt Howard on the inside, who is averaging 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.

Spur of the moment prediction: Drake has already gone to places like Iowa, Wichita State, Bradley and Creighton and pulled off victories. The dream season continues for Coach Keno Davis.

Kent State at Saint Mary’s

Kent State backed into the BracketBusters selection process with a disheartening loss to Toledo. The Flashes now need a big win to have any realistic hope of an at-large bid and a trip to Saint Mary’s would provide just that. Even without the at-large bid, Kent State is the favorite to advance out of the Mid-American Conference and is a dangerous team that can do some damage in March. Yet, that win will be hard to come by. The Gaels have not lost at home all season and will likely keep that run going. Guard Patrick Mills, forward Diamon Simpson and center Omar Samhan are a dynamic trio that have been simply dominating. If you haven’t seen St. Mary’s play yet this year, be sure to watch this game and see why these guys are a legitimate Sweet Sixteen team.

Spur of the moment prediction: The Gaels have way too many weapons for Kent State to handle.

Rider at Cal State Northridge

This one may not sound too great, but if you are looking for a 14-seed to upset a 3-seed for the office pool, this is a good place to start. Rider is currently on top of the MAAC with a 10-2 record and Northridge is 7-1 in the Big West. Both teams will be looking to bump up their seed by a notch or two in this game and gain some momentum for the conference tournament.

Spur of the moment prediction: Jason Thompson gets 22 points and 19 rebounds and Deon Tresvant misses a last second three to give Rider the victory.

George Mason at Ohio, VCU at Akron

The Patriots have not been very consistent this year, but when they are on they can beat anybody. George Mason and VCU have separated themselves from the rest of the CAA and both will likely need wins if the conference wants to get an at-large bid. A couple road victories over two of the top three teams in the Mid-American Conference will certainly boost the overall conference RPI. Ohio and Akron are on the outside of the bubble, but they can still help their conference out by holding serve at home. Really it would help Kent State out the most, but it is not like Ohio and Akron can’t win a few games in the conference tournament and be dangerous teams in the NCAA Tournament.

Spur of the moment prediction: Will Thomas gets yet another double-double and the Patriots slip by the Bobcats, but the CAA misses the sweep over the MAC as Akron gets the win over VCU.

Davidson at Winthrop

Davidson and Winthrop have dominated their conferences over the last few years and these are couple teams who could win a game in the NCAA Tournament. Davidson is 13-0 in the Southern Conference and shouldn’t lose a conference game the rest of the year. Stephen Curry, who is averaging 24.4 points per game, is the best player you’ve never seen and that alone is a good enough reason to tune into this game. Winthrop’s dominance of the Big South is being threatened by UNC Asheville and they could use a big win before, presumably, facing off against the Bulldogs in the conference tournament final.

Spur of the moment prediction: Davidson hasn’t lost since December 21^st and they won’t lose again until March 22^nd or March 23^rd.

The Bad

Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Bradley

These teams might be better than some others who earned a TV game, but they are both middle of the pack teams in their conferences. Sometimes a middle of the pack team in the Missouri Valley Conference is good enough, but not this year. Without any chance of an at-large bid and little chance to knock off better teams in the conference tournaments, these look like two teams who seasons will end soon after this game.

Spur of the moment prediction: The Panthers have pulled together some nice wins lately, but on the road at Bradley will be way too difficult.

Siena at Boise State

Boise State deserves some credit for taking advantage of weak Western Athletic Conference, but this one doesn’t scream excitement. Siena is in the hunt in the MAAC and have plenty of talented guards in Edwin Ubiles, Kenny Hasbrouck, Ronald Moore and Tay Fisher, but they are going to have to save their best basketball for the conference tournament.

Spur of the moment prediction: It’s a long trip to Boise and Siena has bigger games on the schedule than this one.

Nevada at Southern Illinois

Last year I would have cared. This year, I’d rather watch Southern Illinois play Illinois State and Nevada play Utah State. Obviously these aren’t horrible teams, but both of have been quite disappointing compared to preseason expectations.

Spur of the moment prediction: Nevada turns the ball over too much and that problem will be very obvious against the tough Saluki defense and the tough Saluki crowd.

Miami (OH) at Valparaiso

These are a couple more middle of the road teams in their respective conferences. Valpo is 5-4 in the Horizon and Miami has slipped to 4-4 in conference. However, it sounds a little worse than it actually is this time. Inconsistency has been a problem, but both teams have enough talent to make some noise in their conference tournaments. Getting a little momentum in this game will certainly help.

Spur of the moment prediction: The balanced scoring attack of the Crusaders will be too much for Miami to deal with on the road.

The Rest

Marist at Cleveland State

Cleveland State has slipped a little bit lately, but they are still in the thick of the Horizon League race. Marist is right there with Rider, Siena and Loyola (MD) in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Once again these aren’t teams looking for an at-large bid, but they are a couple teams who could use some momentum heading into conference tournaments that promise to be competitive.

Spur of the moment prediction: If Marist, who has won eight of their last ten, can stay hot they can get a big win on the road.

Creighton at Oral Roberts

Creighton is in that log jam of decent teams behind Drake in the MVC. This will be a much better measuring stick for Oral Roberts who is 10-0 in Summit League play. The Golden Eagles should be dancing in March in the 15 seed range and Creighton would be their best win in a long time and a great way to prepare for March.

Spur of the moment prediction: ORU is good, but the middle of the road teams in the MVC are better.

Wright State and Illinois State

Now I’m just getting sick of Horizon League and Missouri Valley Conference teams. However, these are probably the second best teams in each conference, so it can make for an interesting game. The Redbirds are considered to be a relatively big surprise in the conference and it will be a good opportunity to catch a team that most people don’t get to see very often.

Spur of the moment prediction: Illinois State has been pretty solid in the friendly confines. Wright State has won three road games in a row, but not against a team as talented as Illinois State.

UC Santa Barbara at Utah State

If you are a fan of the Big West, you’ve seen this game many times before. Utah State will welcome former conference foe UCSB to Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. After an ugly, ugly start, the Aggies have won 11 of their last 12 games. UCSB has plenty of talent, but have yet to find much consistency and, as Gaucho fans may remember, it is extremely tough to play in Logan.

Spur of the moment prediction: USU does not lose at home.

2008 BracketBusters Schedule

Press Release — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:15:33 -0800

2008 O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters Television Matchups

Friday, Feb 22
Davidson at Winthrop
UCSB at Utah State

Saturday, Feb 23
Creighton at Oral Roberts
George Mason at Ohio
Kent State at St. Mary’s (Ca.)
Marist at Cleveland State
Miami at Valparaiso
Nevada at Southern Illinois
Rider at CS Northridge
Siena at Boise State
UWM at Bradley
Virginia Commonwealth at Akron

Sunday, Feb 24
Wright State at Illinois State

2008 O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters Non-Television Matchups
* Times to be Announced

Albany at Canisius
Ball State at Eastern Kentucky
Binghamton at Manhattan
Boston U at St. Peter's
Bowling Green at Detroit
Bucknell at Old Dominion
Cal Poly at Fresno State
UC Davis at Loyola MD
Delaware at Toledo
Evansville at Eastern Illinois
Fairfield at Drexel
Georgia Southern at Austin Peay
Georgia State at Jacksonville State
Hawaii at Riverside
High Point at Towson
Hofstra at Iona
Idaho at Irvine
Indiana State at Murray State
LBSU at New Mexico State
Loyola Ill at William & Mary
Morehead State at James Madison
Niagara at Appalachian State
Portland State at CS Fullerton
Samford at La Tech
San Jose State at Pacific
Southeast Missouri State at Eastern Michigan
Tennessee-Martin at Elon
Tennessee State at Northern Illinois
Tennessee Tech at ETSU
UIC at Northern Iowa
Vermont at UNCW
Western Michigan at UW-Green Bay
Wichita State at Holy Cross
Youngstown State at Buffalo

Welser Wonders: ACC Bids, BracketBuster, A10 vs B10

Joel Welser — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:25:26 -0800

There is a reason February is the shortest month of the year. It makes March come quicker than we expect and that means BracketBusters is coming soon and the bubble watch is in full swing. This week, those topics dominate what “Welser Wonders…”

…who will step up in the ACC?

At the moment the nation’s best conference has only three NCAA worthy teams. No surprise that North Carolina and Duke are locks, but Clemson is the other team who would be dancing if Selection Sunday were today. At this time last year Clemson was all but a lock too, only to blow it in February and March so we won’t put it past them to do it again.

Of course the ACC will get more than three teams into the tournament, but the other nine teams are simply a mess right now. Coming off a loss to Wake Forest, Miami has taken a step back towards the pack after a solid start. Boston College is actually third in the conference standings at 3-2 and has a decent overall record (12-6), but their RPI is 11^th in the conference. Maryland has a nice signature win over UNC, but they also lost to American University. Even Virginia, with a 1-4 conference record, is not out of the running quite yet. A couple home losses to the Tech schools has hindered the Cavaliers conference campaign, but there are plenty of opportunities for big wins.

The ACC should have at least five or six bids to work with, so it will all come down to who can pull it together right now and make a run. If everybody continues to just beat up each other and nobody besides Duke and North Carolina can separate themselves from the pack, the league could end up with fewer teams dancing than they deserve.

…what will come of the most over-hyped event in college basketball this year?

Sure, it is fun to go out and play somebody out of conference in February, but there are more important games going on right now…which nobody cares about. The showcase BracketBusters game this year should be matching up the top two current teams in the field, Saint Mary’s and Drake. Yet, those two teams already played earlier this year. The Gaels won 72-66 and handed Drake their only loss of the year if you don’t remember that November 10^th match-up.

Since that game won’t happen again, we are likely looking at Kent State traveling to Saint Mary’s and Drake heading to Butler. There are some other teams who have at-large hopes like Illinois State and George Mason, but really those are the big four at the moment. Unfortunately, it is the visiting teams that need the victory the most for at-large purposes. Barring huge collapses, Saint Mary’s and Butler should be in the tournament with a win or loss on BracketBusters Saturday. So Kent State and Drake can really boost their hopes with a win, but they won’t be devastated with a loss either. Losing on the road to the Gaels or Bulldogs certainly will not be a big blow to the RPI. In fact, even a loss is resume booster compared to beating Evansville or Ball State.

What’s that all mean? It means the BracketBusters probably won’t really bust any brackets at all. Saint Mary’s (unless they keep losing to teams like San Diego) and Butler are in either way, Drake is likely in with a win or a loss and it is more important for Kent State to keep beating who they should beat in conference play. That’s not to say it wouldn’t help if the Flashes win, but it certainly won’t knock them out of contention. Looking ahead to traveling to the west coast and losing on February 19^th to Buffalo would knock them out of contention.

…whether the A-10 will get more teams into the big dance than the Big Ten?

Top to bottom the A-10 is not better than the Big Ten, but on the top it is very close. In the A-10, Xavier, Dayton, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are all deserving of an at-large bid at the moment. The Big Ten has Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Indiana that fit into that category. Where it gets interesting is comparing the fifth teams in each conference…St. Joseph’s and Purdue. Both teams have five losses, but it is the Hawks who are more deserving of a bid right now thanks to a healthy dose of non-conference road games. Usually at this time of the year we figure the Big Ten team will get an RPI boost since they play in the Big Ten. But that is not the case this year since the A-10 is hanging with the Big Ten blow for blow as far as the RPI is concerned.

Luckily there is a long way left to go and St. Joe’s has their big games ahead of them and plenty of opportunities to get a signature win or two. The Hawks have yet to play Xavier and also take on Villanova, Rhode Island and Dayton before all is said and done. The Boilermakers just got their big win against Wisconsin and can follow that up with another win over Wisconsin, Michigan State or Indiana in February. If the committee had to pick a team now they should pick the Hawks over Purdue, but who knows if that would really happen.

…when Davidson will be noticed (again) as a team that can do damage in March?

The Wildcats failed to prove they could beat any NCAA Tournament caliber team when they lost to North Carolina, Western Michigan, Duke, Charlotte, UCLA and NC State in November and December. But since then Davidson has found its groove by beating up on fellow SoCon opponents. Bob McKillop’s squad has won the last seven games by an average of over 17 points. The most impressive part is that six of those games were on the road. With the bulk of the remaining schedule in their friendly confines, the Wildcats could very well finally find their comfort zone after spending the first three months of the season playing most of their games on the road.

There is no doubt that the team is very talented. They have already begun to play how we all expected to them in November and it could get even better. Yet, this is not a team that needed time to develop. Everybody from last year is back and virtually playing the same minutes. That is why a big win or two in the non-conference schedule would not have been surprising. What better time to beat NC State when they are still adjusting to life without Engin Atsur?

Davidson may have overscheduled a bit during non-conference play, but it seems like we have completely stopped talking about them since there is not a quality win to be found on the schedule. This is still a deep team with a ton of dangerous weapons who will most likely be in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Southern Conference Tournament. I certainly wouldn’t want to be a three or four seed and see Stephen Curry and Jason Richards on my bracket in the first round.

Daily Poll: Best Freshman in the Jimmy V Classic?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:30:49 -0800

Daily Poll: Which Is the Best Big 12/Pac-10 Game?

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:36:23 -0800

Poll: Should ESPN End the Big Ten/ACC Challenge?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:45:45 -0800

Poll: Who Will Win the Anaheim Classic?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 06:58:55 -0800

Poll: Who Will Win the Old Spice Classic?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:03:08 -0800

Preview: Old Spice Classic

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:41:04 -0800

For the second year, ESPN and the MAAC will put on the Old Spice Classic at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. Last season’s tournament, won by Arkansas, was a competitive event that featured five teams who eventually played in the postseason. Will this year’s group of eight yield the same success? The answer to that question won’t be known until March, but this year’s field does have something that last year’s didn’t: one of the nation’s best freshmen. His name: Michael Beasley of Kansas State. But to focus solely on Beasley would be unfair to some of the other spectacular players in the field, such as Jason Thompson (Rider), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), Geary Claxton (Penn State) and Brandon Costner (NC State). And if you’re looking for another freshman to rave about, keep an eye out for the Wolfpack’s J.J. Hickson. Below is a quick preview of the tournament, followed by my prediction.

Schedule of Games (all times Eastern)

Thursday, November 22^nd

Game 1: South Carolina vs. Penn State, Noon (ESPN2)

Game 2: Rider vs. NC State, 2 PM (ESPN2)

Game 3: Villanova vs. Central Florida, 7 PM (ESPN2)

Game 4: Kansas State vs. George Mason, 9 PM (ESPN2)

Friday, November 23^rd

Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 10:30 AM (ESPN2)

Game 6: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 12:30 PM (ESPN2)

Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 5 PM (ESPN2)

Game 8: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 7:30 PM (ESPN2)

Sunday, November 25^th

Game 9: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 11 AM (ESPNU)

Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 8, 1 PM (ESPNU)

Game 11: Loser Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 4:30 PM (ESPN2)

Game 12: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7, 6:30 PM (ESPN2)

South Carolina

The Gamecocks come into this tournament with one of the better backcourts in the field. The only thing is that while both Devan Downey and Zam Frederick have Division I experience, none of it came in Columbia. Downey (16.7 ppg, 7.3 apg) returned to his home state after a year at Cincinnati in which he was one of the best freshmen in the Big East. Frederick (13.3 ppg), now a junior, played two seasons under Paul Hewitt at Georgia Tech. Now while these two are expected to lead the Gamecocks this season, players such as Dominique Archie (13.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg), Brandis Raley-Ross (12.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Mike Holmes (9.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg) can also make some things happen. Archie, in fact, was a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team last season. Five players average at least nine points per game thus far for 2-1 South Carolina, coming off of an 85-75 loss to Southern California. Losing Tre Kelley and Brandon Wallace will be an adjustment, but Dave Odom still has some talent at his disposal.

Player to Watch: Downey. He may only stand 5-9, but he can be a blur when going full speed up and down the court.

Penn State

Ed DeChellis heads into his fifth season in State College, and after a step back it’s time to see some results from the Nittany Lions. Penn State, a year after playing in the NIT, went 11-19 and finished in a tie for dead last in the Big Ten. While Geary Claxton, once again a first team All-Big Ten candidate, will be on display in Orlando, Jamelle Cornley will not because of a bone bruise in his left knee. Claxton is currently averaging 21.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game for the Lions. Other players to keep an eye on include seniors Danny Morrissey (11.5 ppg) and Mike Walker (8.0 ppg, 2.0 apg), and freshman point guard Talor Battle (10.0 ppg, 4.5 apg). The leading rebounder, stepping in for the enigmatic Milos Bogetic who decided to transfer during the off-season, is senior Brandon Hassell (9.5 rpg). After easy wins over St. Francis (PA) and Canisius, South Carolina will be their first test of the season.

Player to Watch: Claxton. Geary can score from just about anywhere on the floor, but he needs to develop as a leader in order for the Lions to reach their full potential this season.

Rider

The Broncs arrive in Orlando with one of the more experienced teams in the field, led by senior center Jason Thompson (18.7 ppg, 12.0 rpg). Last season, Thompson was the only player in America to average twenty points and ten rebounds per game, and he’s more than capable of repeating that feat. Four starters in all return for Tommy Dempsey, which makes one of four or five teams capable of winning the MAAC this season. Solid perimeter shooting is a necessity in order to keep teams from swarming Thompson and in junior Harris Mansell (15.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg) the Broncs have one of the best in the conference. Rider’s most versatile player is sophomore Ryan Thompson (14.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 5.3 apg), Jason’s younger brother, a 6-5 swingman. Although ten players have played in all three games to this point in the season, only seven see more than eleven minutes per game. NC State in the opener is quite a test, but the Broncs just might be able to win that one.

Player to Watch: Jason Thompson. At 6-10 he’s got the size to change the game on both ends in the paint, but he can also run the floor and hit the mid-range jumper on occasion. He will be a tough matchup for NC State.

NC State

The Wolfpack were a trendy pick by many to make some serious noise in the ACC this year after their performance in the ACC Tournament. But after blowing a late lead at home to New Orleans, you have to wonder if the expectations were a little too much for a team that was 5-11 in conference play last season. But some capable weapons will be on display in Orlando, led by sophomore forward Brandon Costner and freshman forward J.J. Hickson. Costner (10.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg) was on fire down the stretch last season, and should only build on his performance. But the man who has stolen the show in their first two games is Hickson (26.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg), who leads the team in both scoring and rebounding. Returnees Courtney Fells and Gavin Grant also see a lot of playing time, with Grant currently averaging 12.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Iowa State transfer Farnold Degand runs the show at the point for Sidney Lowe’s team. However, the Wolfpack may have the shallowest bench in the field with five players playing more than thirty minutes per game, and Ben McCauley only playing eleven. Maybe this will change as the season progresses, and they will definitely need some other options to step up before conference play.

Player to Watch: Hickson. At 6-9, 242, Hickson already has a body ready for the NBA. He’s got a wide array of offensive skills, especially for an incoming freshman, and only stands to get better as he gets more games under his belt.

Villanova

Jay Wright’s Wildcats bring a lot of youth to the table, but boy are they talented. Led by sophomore guard Scottie Reynolds (14.0 ppg, 4.5 apg), Villanova possesses a number of options on the perimeter who can get the job done (freshmen Malcolm Grant, Corey Stokes and the recovering Corey Fisher). The surprise of their first two games has been junior forward Shane Clark, averaging 21.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. It’s been know that the 6-7 Clark is active on the glass, but the scoring thus far (25 against Stony Brook, 17 against Bucknell) has to be a pleasant surprise. Helping out Clark on the glass will be classmate Dante Cunningham (5.5 rpg) and freshman Casiem Drummond (8.5 rpg). The Wildcats are a team that can definitely do some damage come March, and this tournament could be a springboard to bigger things.

Player to Watch: Reynolds. While classified as a point guard, Reynolds can do some serious damage scoring as well. Just ask Connecticut, who he hit up for forty points last year.

Central Florida

Conference USA has pretty much become a league where you ask “who’s finishing second” when entering discussions. Well, last year it was Kirk Speraw’s Golden Knights, finishing 11-5 in conference play. With three starters back in Orlando, UCF has a chance to repeat that accomplishment this season. Already 2-0, including a win over Nevada in their sparkling new UCF Convocation Center, UCF has proven to be a balanced club when it comes to scoring points. Their top four scorers, led by senior guard Dave Noel (14.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and junior guard Jermaine Taylor (same averages as Noel, believe it or not), all average at least eleven points per game. Senior guard Chip Cartwright leads the team with 6.5 assists per game. But other than Kendrick Zondervan, no player 6-6 or taller sees more than thirteen minutes per game. There’s plenty of talent in the backcourt, but developing the men up front will be important if they want to separate themselves from the pack in CUSA. As for the opener against Villanova, it should be an intriguing matchup between the two because of the guard play.

Kansas State

Any discussion the Kansas State Wildcats has to begin with freshman forward Michael Beasley (30.0 ppg, 20.0 rpg), who has looked like a man among boys in his first three collegiate games. But to be fair, the opponents have to be noted: Sacramento State, Pittsburg State and Western Illinois. The Old Spice Classic will give a more accurate representation of what Beasley can do against a higher level of competition. Bill Walker is back and playing well after an ACL injury suffered last January ended his freshman year after just six games, and senior guard Blake Young has raised his scoring average almost eight points from last season (5.3 to 13.0). Senior forward David Hoskins hasn’t played yet this year due to injury, and it remains to be seen what his role will be this weekend if any. This team’s got plenty of talent; it’s just about getting them all on the same page in time for Big 12 page, where a wide open league after Kansas and Texas A&M awaits.

Player to Watch: Beasley. The man is an absolute beast. Already the first player in Big 12 history to record two 20 point/ 20 rebound games, we still haven’t seen the best out of him.

George Mason

A year removed from a trip to the Final Four, Jim Larranaga’s Patriots were three minutes away from returning to the NCAA Tournament. Then Eric Maynor took over, sending Mason home for March. But the youngsters and newcomers on last year’s team who struggled mightily in January are now a year older and wiser and this team should flourish in the Colonial with seniors Folarin Campbell (12.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Will Thomas (17.3 ppg, 14.0 rpg) back for one more run. Starting out 3-0, with wins over Vermont and Dayton, George Mason has relied on defense to get the job done, holding opponents to an average of fifty-two points per game. But those teams don’t have anyone as talented as Michael Beasley, who the Patriots get the chance to slow down on Thursday night. The Thomas/ Beasley matchup will be the one to focus on, but for Mason it’ll be more important to get something out of junior guard Dre Smith, who has struggled thus far. John Vaughan (10.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg), a year removed from an ACL tear, has played well in the first three games of the season.

Player to Watch: Thomas. Remember that he did quite a job against Connecticut’s talented frontline as a sophomore. He should have a couple of tricks under his sleeve when it comes to guarding Beasley.

How do I see this tournament playing out?

This is one of the more balanced early-season tournaments on tap this season, and the play should reflect that. Without Cornley, I still like Penn State to get past South Carolina in the opener. While their loss to New Orleans wasn’t a good one, NC State will survive Rider with Brandon Costner playing better basketball. On the other side of the bracket, the two Wildcats (Villanova and Kansas State) will move on to the semis. From there, I like Villanova to defeat NC State in the championship game.

Top 144 Previews | 2007-08 Preview & Awards | Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Poll: Who Will Win the NIT Season Tip-Off?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:32:08 -0800