Examining ACC Teams in Early Season Tournaments: Part I
Posted by Brad Jenkins on October 25th, 2013As part of our preseason coverage on the ACC microsite, we will be looking at ACC teams competing in early season tournaments in a three-part series . Today we present Part I, which includes an overview and a look at the 2KSports Classic, the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and the Charleston Classic.
In these early season tournament previews we will present them in order of when the championship games will be played. To make it easier to find each team’s event we will include a table with all the teams in alphabetical order, with bold print to indicate the schools featured in that part of the series. All of these events are not constructed alike but there are two main types. The first type is the traditional eight-team tournament in which all teams play three games through winners’ and losers’ brackets. The second type is the newer popular model, usually with four well-known teams predetermined to play a semifinal and championship round at a neutral site after hosting two lower rated teams at home. The Preseason NIT is the lone tournament to stick with a traditional format with 16 teams competing in a winners’ bracket. Each preview will look at potential match-ups with links to the brackets, and a brief outlook on the ACC team’s chances. Note that N.C. State and Notre Dame will not be included in the analysis as they are playing in exempt events with all the match-ups predetermined.
School |
Tournament |
Location (Finals) |
Dates |
Boston College |
2K Sports Classic |
New York, NY |
Nov 14,17,21-22 |
Clemson |
Charleston Classic |
Charleston, SC |
Nov 21,22,24 |
Duke | NIT Season Tip-Off | New York, NY | Nov 18-19,27,29 |
Florida State | Puerto Rico Tip-Off | San Juan, PR | Nov 21,22,24 |
Georgia Tech | Barclays Center Classic | Brooklyn, NY | Nov 24,26,29-30 |
Maryland | Paradise Jam | U.S. Virgin Islands | Nov 22-25 |
Miami | Wooden Legacy | Orange County, CA | Nov 18,28-29, Dec 1 |
North Carolina | Hall of Fame Tip-Off | Uncasville, CT | Nov 15,17,23-24 |
North Carolina St. | N/A – Global Sports Shootout-All Games Predetermined Matchups | ||
Notre Dame | N/A – Gotham Classic-All Games Predetermined Matchups | ||
Pittsburgh | Progressive Legends Classic | Brooklyn, NY | Nov 17,20,25-26 |
Syracuse | EA Sports Maui Invitational | Maui, HI | Nov 25-27 |
Virginia | Corpus Christi Challenge | Corpus Christi, TX | Nov 23,26,29-30 |
Virginia Tech |
Coaches vs. Cancer Classic |
Brooklyn, NY |
Nov 9,15,22-23 |
Wake Forest | Battle 4 Atlantis | Nassau, Bahamas | Nov 28-30 |
Boston College – 2K Sports Classic
Date Time(ET) TV Location Opponent Conf 2012-13 W-L
Th-Nov 14 7:00 PM ESPN3 HOME Toledo MAC 15-13
Su-Nov 17 8:00 PM ESPNU HOME Florida Atlantic ConfUSA 14-18
Th-Nov 21 7:00 PM ESPN2 New York Connecticut AAC 20-10
Fr-Nov 22 TBD ESPN 2/U New York Indiana Big Ten 29-7
or Washington Pac 12 18-16
And The Winner Is: Connecticut – With one of the finest backcourts in the nation and the motivation of being NCAA Tournament-eligible, look for the Huskies to come out on top in New York in a couple of close games.
Possible Surprise Team: Boston College – With all key players returning from last year, the Eagles will probably be ahead of rebuilding Indiana or Washington at this early stage of the season. They even have a decent shot at taking down UConn. Sophomore guards Olivier Hanlan and Joe Rahon won’t be easily overmatched, and Connecticut lacks an established inside scorer to punish the smallish frontcourt Boston College frequently uses.
ACC Outlook: As part of a much tougher non-conference slate in 2013-14, the Eagles are assured of facing two quality opponents in New York. A championship would be a good indication that Boston College may be ready to make a big leap in the ACC this year. Even a split would enhance this team’s chances of being thought of as an NCAA tournament-caliber team.
Virginia Tech – Coaches vs. Cancer Classic
Date Time(ET) TV Location Opponent Conf 2012-13 W-L
Sa-Nov 9 12:00 PM HOME USC Upstate Atl Sun 16-17
Fr-Nov 15 7:00 PM HOME Western Carolina Southern 14-19
Fr-Nov 22 9:30 PM truTV Brooklyn Michigan St. Big Ten 27-9
Sa-Nov 23 TBD truTV Brooklyn Oklahoma Big 12 20-12
or Seton Hall Big East 15-18
And The Winner Is: Michigan State – The veteran Spartans should claim the title in dominant fashion.
Possible Surprise Team: Oklahoma – This is just a default choice. While still in rebuilding mode, at least the Sooners are regarded as a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 team. The other two teams in Brooklyn are predicted to be at or near the basement of their respective leagues.
ACC Outlook: Virginia Tech is going to have a tough time in Brooklyn. In fact winning both preliminary games at home is not a given for the Hokies. Watch out for the opener with USC Upstate, a veteran team that went 9-9 in the Atlantic Sun last year. At least the guaranteed match-up with Michigan St. will help the overall conference RPI.
Clemson – Charleston Classic
Date Time(ET) TV Location Opponent Conf 2012-13 W-L
Th-Nov 21 7:30 PM ESPN3 Charleston Temple AAC 24-10
Fr-Nov 22 TBD ESPN 3/U Charleston Davidson Southern 26-8
Or Georgia SEC 15-17
Su-Nov 2 TBD ESPN 2/3/U Charleston Massachusetts Atl 10 21-12
Or Nebraska Big Ten 15-18
Or New Mexico MtWest 29-6
Or UAB ConfUSA 16-17
And The Winner Is: New Mexico – New head coach Craig Neal, a former ACC guard with Georgia Tech in the mid-1980s, inherits a veteran squad that is being picked in most 2013-14 preseason Top 25 polls .
Possible Surprise Team: Massachusetts – Led by senior point guard Chaz Williams, the veteran Minutemen like to play at a fast pace and may be able to use that to their advantage by wearing down opponents. If they play New Mexico on Friday, that game will tip less than 24 hours after the Lobos’ Thursday opener.
ACC Outlook: This is a deep field with mostly evenly matched teams, so Clemson has the opportunity to post some impressive wins. At first glance, with the tourney in South Carolina, it may appear that the Tigers will have a semi-home court advantage. But Charleston is 240 miles from Clemson and there is a home football game in Death Valley that weekend so there probably won’t be much of an edge for the home state Tigers.