College Basketball: 2017 Hall of Fame Tip-Off bracket announced
By Taylor Sturm
A few days before a star-studded 2017 Hall of Fame Classic that features the UCLA Bruins, Wisconsin Badgers, Baylor Bears, and the Creighton Bluejays, the 2017 Hall of Fame Tip-Off will, well, tip-off.
The 2016 Hall of Fame Tip-Off featured the Naismith bracket, which was won by the Duke Blue Devils, and the Springfield bracket, which was won by Grand Canyon. In the same vein, the 2017 Naismith bracket is filled with bigger name teams while the 2017 Springfield bracket is filled with lesser known programs.
The 2017 Naismith bracket consists of the Boston College Eagles, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Northwestern Wildcats, and La Salle Explorers. Boston College will play Texas Tech in the first game on Saturday, November 18, at 12:00 p.m. on ESPN3, while Northwestern and La Salle will follow at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN3.
The winners will face off at 5:30 p.m. in the Naismith bracket championship game on November 19 (ESPN2), while the losers will play in a third-place game at 3:00 p.m. prior to the championship game on ESPN2.
The 2017 Springfield bracket will have South Alabama, Saint Peter’s, Sacred Heart, and Maine face off. On Saturday, November 18, South Alabama will play Maine at 5:00 p.m. on ESPN3 followed by Saint Peter’s versus Sacred Heart at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3. The winners will play at 8:00 p.m. on November 19, while the losers will play at 12:30 p.m. earlier in the day. Both the championship and third-place games will be on ESPN3.
You can view the bracket here.
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While I think the Naismith bracket should be interesting, I expect Texas Tech and Northwestern to make the final with the Red Raiders coming out on top. In the Springfield bracket, anyone could win it, but I feel like South Alabama and Saint Peter’s should face off in the final with the Peacocks winning it all.