NCAA Basketball: 2018 2K Sports Classic will be very consequential

The field for the 2018 2K Sports Classic has been announced. With the teams involved, the impact of these games will be big concerning the Big Dance.

When it comes to the various tournaments in the non-conference, the 2K Sports Classic is one of my favorites. First off, the four teams involved are usually at least in the bubble conversation, which makes the games noticeable.

More importantly, the actual “tournament” feel gives it even more of a big deal. The winners play each other, while the losers do the same. The victor of this event can walk away with two quality wins, while the last place team takes a couple of losses that can hurt their at-large chances.

The four teams in the 2017 field were Virginia Tech, Providence, Washington and St. Louis (Indiana pulled out of the event earlier). The Friars were the winners of the 2K Sports Classic, with Washington going winless. Had they gotten a couple of wins, their tourney hopes would’ve been better.

The 2018 field has been announced, and it’s four teams with unique situations heading into the 2018-19 season.

With the event located at Madison Square Garden in New York City, it’s great to see two old Big East Basketball rivals square off in the semifinals. UConn and Syracuse have played the last couple of seasons, splitting the contests.

The other matchup features a pair of teams that missed out on the Big Dance this past year – Iowa and Oregon. Both programs had to deal with youth as well as inconsistency in underwhelming seasons, but each will be vastly improved.

Only one team (Syracuse) made the 2018 NCAA Tournament, so the other three participants have a lot to prove. And the 2K Sports Classic could be what they need to do it.

For each of these programs, getting wins is important when it comes to their respective resumes. Especially for Oregon and UConn, who reside in leagues that aren’t projected to be strong. It’s Dan Hurley’s first season with the Huskies, so a win over a rival as well as a title would be a great start to his tenure.

Finding quality wins won’t be much of a problem for Iowa (Big Ten) and Syracuse (ACC), who play in competitive leagues that will feature a number of teams going to the Big Dance. That can be both a blessing and a curse, as losses can accumulate. Going 0-2 in this event for either team will assure a spot on the bubble. Do the Orange really want to go through that again?

Same goes for the Hawkeyes. They’ll be a much more experienced team with most of their guys coming back. But they haven’t experienced much winning. Going winless for them could destroy their confidence before conference play starts.

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There’s a very real possibility that all four teams in this event will make the 2019 NCAA Tournament. But for the one that goes 0-2, they’ll have a steeper hill to climb. There will be more marquee non-conference tournaments in the season, but few will have more consequences than the 2K Sports Classic.