Apologies to die-hard fans out there who spend 11 months a year slowly dying until March Madness rolls around to once again rejuvenate their spirits, but as we enter the dog days of August, Selection Sunday is still eons away at this point. Fortunately for college basketball fans needing their bracket fix already, the early season appetizers have finally been served up for analysis. Though the tournaments don’t actually begin play until the second week of November at the earliest, it’s never too soon to look ahead at the contenders and pretenders who might square off in the first few tournaments to open the schedule.
- 2K Sports Classic (November 8 21st) New York Though the full schedule of games spans several teams across various leagues, the semifinals for the 2K Classic are predetermined, with the winner of Pitt vs. Maryland squaring off against either Illinois or Texas. Of the 4 major teams in this tourney, all should be competitive, with Maryland tiered slightly below the other 3 in the upcoming season.
- O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic (November 12 -24) Kansas City Like the 2K Classic, O’Reilly’s contest also sports a fixed semifinal round, featuring matchups of Duke vs. Marquette and Kansas State vs. Gonzaga. San Diego State will play on the tourney’s undercard and may have as good a shot at dancing in March as some of the more prominent programs at the event. This is a great opportunity for Kansas State to use the tournaments friendly location to pull out a few big wins and boost its national profile to begin the season.
- Puerto Rico Tip-Off (November 18-21) San Juan This 8 team tournament should give participants an early season test and tan, boasting 5 teams legitimate with Big Dance aspirations. UNC, West Virginia, Minnesota, Vandy and Western Kentucky all enter the season very much alive in tourney talk, joined by Hofstra, Nebraska and Davidson in Puerto Rico.