College Basketball Expert Picks: First Wave of November Tournaments
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
It's time for the annual run of November/Thanksgiving tournaments in college basketball, and while some of the heavy hitters (like the Maui Invitational and Battle 4 Atlantis) won't get underway until next week, this weekend brings events like Myrtle Beach, Charleston and the Paradise Jam. That also means daytime basketball starting Thursday, a boon everywhere to those able to watch at home or in the office. We asked our writers to pick the winner of each of the major tournaments getting underway before Sunday, as well as a few intriguing standalone matchups.
Season-Long Standings
Jeremy Woo: 18-11
Michael Shapiro: 17-12
Max Meyer: 15-14
Molly Geary: 15-14
Pat Forde: 15-14
Myrtle Beach Invitational (Nov. 21—24)
The Bracket
The Teams: Villanova, Baylor, Utah, Mississippi State, Ohio, Middle Tennessee, Tulane, Coastal Carolina
Pat Forde picks Baylor: Baylor couldn't close a neutral-site game against Washington earlier this month, but should learn from that. This is a veteran team, with no freshmen to work into the lineup, and that experience (plus some quality depth) should help in a three-day tournament setting. The Bears likely will face an undefeated Utah team in an interesting second-round game, then advance to a matchup in the final against Villanova. Sophomore guard Jared Butler has been hot from outside early (14-25 from three-point range).
2K Empire Classic (Nov. 21–22)
The Bracket
The Teams: Duke, Texas, Georgetown, Cal
Michael Shapiro picks Duke: Can anyone knock off the Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden? Don’t get your hopes up. Texas has battled Duke well in previous matchups–including an overtime loss in November 2017–but neither the Longhorns nor Georgetown have the requisite firepower to stop a Duke squad that will roll past Cal in the semifinal. Duke is firing on all cylinders to start the season, and this year’s crew should once again challenge for the national title. Expect Mike Krzyzewski’s crew to pick up two more wins at MSG after beating Kansas at the World’s Most Famous Arena on Nov. 5.
Charleston Classic (Nov. 21–24)
The Bracket
The Teams: Florida, Xavier, UConn, Miami, Missouri State, Saint Joseph's, Buffalo, Towson
Jeremy Woo picks Xavier: As much as I would like to feel good about Florida figuring everything out, until they address some deep-seated offensive struggles, it’s hard to expect them to win three games in a row. So give me Xavier, who despite three-point shooting issues of its own, draws a reasonable pathway to the final and can lean on an experienced core group.
Paradise Jam (Nov. 22—25)
The Bracket
The Teams: Western Kentucky, Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Nevada, Grand Canyon, Valparaiso, Illinois State, Fordham
Molly Geary picks Cincinnati: This is actually a pretty intriguing field, even if at first glance the only name that will stand out to most fans is Cincinnati. Western Kentucky (87), Bowling Green (104), Nevada (122) and Grand Canyon (144) are all within the Top 150 on KenPom, and the Hilltoppers and Falcons in particular could do some damage. Fortunately for the Bearcats, WKU and Bowling Green face off in the quarterfinals, with Cincy likely awaiting the winner in the semifinal. For that reason, I'm going with the favorite, and it will be a massive upset if the champ doesn't come out of that side of the bracket.
Air Force Reserve Tip-Off Tournament (Nov. 23–24)
The Bracket
The Teams: Virginia, Arizona State, St. John's, UMass
Michael Shapiro picks Virginia: The defending champions should cruise to the tournament title against an overmatched field, with neither St. John’s nor Arizona State sporting requisite rosters to knock off Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers. Virginia is allowing a paltry 41.3 points per game, and its defensive rating trails only Sacramento State. The departures of Kyle Guy, De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome may doom the Cavaliers in the NCAA tournament, but expect another year of ACC title contention in Charlottesville.
MGM Resorts Main Event—Heavyweight) (Nov. 24–26)
The Bracket
The Teams: Colorado, Clemson, TCU, Wyoming
Molly Geary picks Colorado: The Buffaloes get the easier of the semifinals as compared to their Power 5 counterparts, facing a Wyoming team ranked 286th on KenPom and with three losses already under its belt. Colorado already got a decent test in its opener against Arizona State in China, and earned a sneaky-good win over UC Irvine this week. Neither TCU nor Clemson are formidable foes, though neither would likely be a pushover, either. With McKinley Wright and Tyler Bey leading the way, we'll take the Buffs for the title.
LSU vs. No. 15 Utah State (Fri., 7 p.m. ET, CBSSN)
Jeremy Woo picks LSU: This is the type of athletic team that Utah State seems bound to struggle with, particularly if rim-protecting equalizer Neemias Queta remains out for the foreseeable future. LSU isn’t playing particularly attractive basketball, but if it slows down Sam Merrill—who’s struggled a bit out of the gate—the Tigers should grind this out.
Houston at No. 11 Oregon (Fri., 9 p.m. ET, Pac-12)
Max Meyer picks Oregon: Dana Altman vs. Kelvin Sampson is one of the better coaching matchups we’ll get during non-conference play. Oregon’s guards have a big challenge on their hands having to deal with Houston’s smothering man-to-man defense. BYU knocked off Houston at home this past weekend, though, as the Cougars have to adjust to life without Corey Davis, Galen Robinson and Armoni Brooks, the trio of guards that keyed their outstanding perimeter defense. Houston beat Oregon last season, but I think the Ducks with their improved shooting should have the edge this time around. It doesn’t hurt either that this will be Houston’s first game outside the state of Texas.
Temple at USC (Fri., 11 p.m. ET, Pac-12)
Max Meyer picks USC: Five-star freshman Onyeka Okongwu has been a revelation to start, as he’s made a major impact on both ends of the floor with his non-stop motor and physical play. He’s been a big reason why USC has shown early improvement in offensive rebounding and interior defense. Temple doesn’t take many threes (195th in three-point attempt rate) and hasn’t been knocking them down either (270th in three-point percentage), and the Owls will have a tough time making baskets close to the rim. The Trojans have better athletes and a much more talented roster, and I think they easily take care of business in this game.
Ole Miss at No. 16 Memphis (Sat., 1 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
Pat Forde picks Ole Miss: Well, we know who isn't playing for the Tigers. While Memphis will be motivated by a deep reservoir of dislike for the Rebels, who have a ton of alums in the Memphis area, being short-handed for this game is not a good thing. Ole Miss is a solid 4-0 against light competition and will have to step up its game here, but coach Kermit Davis' team is off to a very good start defensively after being a bit suspect at that end of the court last season.
