While many casual college basketball fans focus on March Madness, November often sets the tone with its early season tournaments. The cliché of an early season matchup of teams that might meet in March is often thrown around as a tool to hype a number of early season games between marquee teams and teams from the marquee conferences.
Last season, when Georgia Tech defeated Connecticut to capture the Preseason NIT, many thought it was a nice early season win. Tech used it a springboard for the rest of the season and advanced to the national championship game, where UConn exacted revenge to capture the school's second national championship.
This November has been no exception -- the Great Alaska Shootout, Preseason NIT, Maui Invitational, and Coaches vs. Cancer have paved the road for teams looking to gain some early confidence to become this season's Georgia Tech.
Riding the wave of putting themselves back on the map last season, Washington made a statement by winning the title in Alaska. Led by Nate Robinson, the Huskies defeated Utah, Oklahoma, and Alabama in a run that should help them in March. Robinson earned Player of the Game honors and the tournament's most valuable player and was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammate Bobby Jones, Alabama's Earnest Shelton, and Chuck Davis and Quan Powell on Furman. With five starters and its top seven scorers back from last season, the Huskies hope to challenge Arizona and Stanford in the Pac-10 this season.
Washington suffered a setback when Brandon Roy tore his meniscus in the win over Oklahoma. The Huskies showed its resiliency in the win over Alabama without Roy, and Robinson scoring seven below his average. The Huskies depth stepped up. Husky point guard Will Conroy showed his versatility by scoring 18 points and Tre Simmons took Roy place in the starting lineup and scored 15 points as Washington won its first tournament title since 1998.
A week earlier in NY, Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara reminded everyone that the ‘Cuse is still around two years removed from the short-lived Carmelo Anthony era. The Orange dominated Memphis 77-62 to win the Coaches vs. Cancer classic and should be among the favorites to win the Big East this season and possibly be a contender to reach St. Louis in April.
Warrick scored 25 points and McNamara had 21 to lead Syracuse. Rodney Carney led Memphis with 25, but his teammates never got in a rhythm. Memphis is expected to be a contender in Conference USA this season, Syracuse's easy win was certainly a surprise. The Orange's start and the return of Billy Edelin should be a springboard to an excellent season.
After getting upset in the second-round of the NCAA tournament last season, Wake Forest began the season with a mission to prove they belonged in the nation's top 10. The Demon Deacons entered the season with the nation's No. 2 ranking and a daunting early schedule. Wake opened with a victory over an underrated George Washington team, a second round triumph over Virginia Commonwealth, and then traveled to Madison Square Garden with the mission of becoming the nation's No. 1 team. A 79-67 victory over Ryan Gomes and Providence in the semifinal and a come-from-behind 63-60 win over Arizona gave the Deacons a 5-0 record to begin the season.
Weary from their tough run through the NIT, the Deacons lost their No. 1 ranking in a sluggish 91-73 loss to Illinois in the Big 10/ACC Challenge. The loss should take off the pressure of being undefeated late into the season and their early season schedule will leave them battle tested for the ACC and March. Early on, Chris Paul and Justin Gray have directed Skip Prosser's attack. With help from Eric Williams and Vytas Danelius inside, Jamaal Levy on the wing, and Taron Downey off on the bench, Wake Forest should be one of the top contenders in the ACC this season.
The Maui invitational presents a different challenge than the tournaments in New York and Alaska. If the challenge of facing a tough field isn't enough, the teams also have to fight the temptation of sun, sand, surf, and bikinis. When the brackets were set up, many expected the final to match two of college basketball's heavyweights, Louisville's Rick Pitino and North Carolina's Roy Williams.
Iowa had something to say about that dream match up by eliminating Louisville 76-71 in the first-round. The Hawkeyes then bumped off Texas in the second before succumbing to NC 106-92 in the championship.
The Hawkeyes might prove to be a sleeper in the Big 10 this season. Pierre Pierce and Jeff Horner form one of the best backcourts in the nation. Horner landed on the All-Tournament team with Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants of North Carolina, Taquan Dean of Louisville, and Brad Buckman of Texas.
North Carolina served notice that their loss to Santa Clara was just a momentary setback. In San Francisco, the Heels were playing without a suspended Felton. With a full roster in Hawaii, NC cruised to the title with a 21 ppg average margin of victory. The title was NC's second in Maui.
With a veteran team in its second year under Williams, it's not a stretch to suggest that the Heels might earn their first Final Four trip in five years. Wake and NC should supplant Maryland and Duke as the ACC dominant teams this season.
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