NCAA Basketball: Previewing the 2017 Charleston Classic

There are several early season NCAA basketball tournaments, including the Charleston Classic. Who will win take home that title and who will stand out?

The Charleston Classic is played at the TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina. The games will be played on Nov. 16, 17, and 19 (Thursday-Sunday) and will be televised on either ESPN2, ESPNU, or ESPN3. The championship game will be held on Nov. 19 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Villanova won the 2016 Charleston Classic, and while there are no teams of Villanova’s caliber this year, there are multiple teams who will compete for NCAA Tournament bids. Auburn, Dayton, and Temple are the most likely to compete for a bid, but Clemson and Old Dominion could easily be NIT squads as well. This speaks to the number of potential postseason teams in the field which should lead to some interesting games.

Best first-round matchup: Temple – Old Dominion

This is the only matchup between two top-100 teams in the KenPom rankings and, on paper, looks like the most competitive first-round game. Old Dominion is a top-tier team in the Conference USA and is led by Virginia transfer B.J. Stith. Stith has averaged 17ppg through his first two contests this year and averaged 10.8ppg as a sophomore. Expect the Monarchs to compete for the CUSA title and to be a tough out in the Charleston Classic.

Temple is one of the many teams in the AAC’s second-tier who could compete for a tournament bid in March. The Owls have not played a game yet, but return a talented duo of Shizz Alston and Obi Enechionyia. Alston led the team in scoring and assists with 13.9ppg and 4.1apg while Enechionyia established himself as one of the best stretch fours in the country last year.

Best chance to pull off an upset: Hofstra

Hofstra is one of the best teams in the CAA and will face an inexperienced Dayton team in the first round. The Pride has the best chance of pulling off an upset since Dayton lost so much talent from last season and has a new coach. Also, the Flyers have had little time to gel since the season started less than a week ago.

Charles Cooke, Kendall Pollard, and Scoochie Smith were Dayton’s three leading scorers and all three have graduated, forcing many players into new roles. Combo forward Xeyrius Williams is the best returning player from last season, but Dayton’s overall talent level is significantly lower than it has been in recent years.

Hofstra has multiple talented veterans including scoring guard Justin Wright-Foreman and double-double machine Rokas Gustys. Sophomore guard Eli Pemberton is a major breakout candidate who adds perimeter scoring. The Pride has enough talent to pull off the upset and could surprise the flagship A-10 program.

Indiana State deserves an honorable mention after demolishing the Indiana Hoosiers, but the Sycamores will likely regress from their scorching hot shooting performance. Auburn should feel comfortable that Indiana State will not replicate their 17-for-26 (65%) from three.

Ideal championship game

In these early season tournaments, you want to see the two best teams square off in the championship. Auburn and Clemson would be the best possible matchup on paper. Temple is probably a better team than Clemson, but due to seeding, an Auburn-Temple final is impossible.

Auburn is shorthanded as Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy deal with the fallout from the FBI investigation. Even without their two starters, Auburn is the most talented team in the field. They also have Mustapha Heron who may be the best player in the Charleston Classic. Heron is a 6’5’’wing who averaged 15.1ppg as a freshman last season.

Clemson lost their star player, Jarron Blossomgame, but return experienced players at each position. Combo forward Donte Grantham has been their best player thus far (15.5ppg and 8.5rpg), but Shelton Mitchell may be the most impactful Tiger. Mitchell, a steady floor general, was the leading assist man last season and is the top returning scorer.

Clemson is not found on many preseason NCAA Tournament brackets, but a strong performance at the Charleston Classic could change the perception of this experienced squad.

Sleeper team: Temple

I talked about Temple in a previous section, but it is worth reiterating that Temple is not only a sleeper tournament team but a sleeper to win the Charleston Classic. The Owls suffered a down year last season, but expect Coach Fran Dunphy to get them back on track.

Players to watch

Jared Harper and Bryce Brown, Auburn

Auburn has the best backcourt in the tournament with these two standouts. Brown is a 3-point specialist who exploded for 31 points in Auburn’s opening game. Expect Brown to take advantage of Purifoy’s absence and continue to play a huge role. Although, do not expect 30-point games on a consistent basis. Harper had a terrific freshman season where he averaged 11.4ppg and 3.0apg as the starting PG. He will continue to produce at a high level in his sophomore season.

Quinton Rose, Temple

Rose earned some national recognition this summer for his play at the USA U-19 tryouts. Rose was ultimately cut from the team but turned some heads with a strong performance. The 6’8’’ wing should be on everyone’s breakout player lists as he is only scratching the surface of his immense potential. He averaged 9.7 ppg as a freshman for the Owls and will join Enechionyia and Alston to form a potent trio.

Elijah Thomas, Clemson

Thomas started his career at Texas A&M but quickly transferred after falling behind Tyler Davis in the rotation. He became eligible at Clemson after the first semester of last season and split the center position with Sidy Djitte. With Djitte now graduated, Thomas will have the center position all to himself and should be a breakout player. The 6’9’’ junior has averaged 12ppg and 7rpg through the first two games of this season. Thomas gives Clemson an interior scoring threat and the Tigers would be wise to look for him in the post often.

Josh Cunningham, Dayton

Cunningham suffered a devastating leg injury on a fast break during last season’s Tip-Off Marathon. While he returned towards the end of the season, he was clearly less than 100%. Now that he is fully healthy, the athletic big man should be an impact player for Dayton. Dayton has very little experience, so Cunningham should see a more featured role in the offense. The 6’7’’ PF scored 22 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the opener versus Ball State and fans should watch out for Cunningham in the Charleston Classic

Brenton Scott, Indiana State

Scott is a fifth-year senior who is known for his volume scoring. The 6’1’’ guard averaged 15.9ppg on 14.2 shot attempts last season, but if he gets hot, Indiana State is a completely different team. A prime example of this was on opening night, where Scott’s 24 points and six made 3-pointers helped the Sycamores knock off Indiana. Indiana State will need him to stay hot if they are to beat Auburn in the first round.

Next: 68 reasons to be excited for the 17-18 season

Prediction

The shorthanded Auburn Tigers are still the most talented team in the field, even without Wiley and Purifoy, and should win the Charleston Classic. Here are my game-by-game predictions:

First round: Auburn over Indiana State, Temple over Old Dominion, Clemson over Ohio, Hofstra over Dayton

Semifinals: Auburn over Temple, Clemson over Hofstra

Championship: Auburn over Clemson