Four Burning Questions Ahead of the Pan-American Games Basketball Tournament

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

This week, the Pan-American Games will kick off their eight-nation men’s basketball tournament at the old Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Three nations are set to feature current NCAA student-athletes on their final rosters.

The evolution of the U.S. team that will compete in this event has been well documented here at Busting Brackets, but Canada and the Dominican Republic will also feature faces familiar to college basketball fans (you can also catch Louisville head coach Rick Pitino roaming the sidelines for the Puerto Rican national team).

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The Pan-American games has turned into an occasion where a mix of grizzled veterans and promising prospects come together to deliver second-rate international competition (the tournament is most important to teams that are looking to qualify for the Olympic basketball tournament). However, as college basketball fans, the games offer a unique opportunity to see our favorite college stars against professional competition that often eclipses the talent levels that they see during the season. 

A total of 14 players who will play college basketball in 2015 expect to see action in Toronto, which means there will be plenty of storylines worth paying attention to (especially when Team USA takes the floor). Here’s a few of the most intriguing aspects of the tournament from a college basketball writer’s perspective.