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NCAA Basketball: 2018 Myrtle Beach Invitational preview and predictions

By Brian Rauf

MORGANTOWN, WV - JANUARY 24: head coach Bob Huggins of the West Virginia Mountaineers looks on from the bench in the first half during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at WVU Coliseum on January 24, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV - JANUARY 24: head coach Bob Huggins of the West Virginia Mountaineers looks on from the bench in the first half during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at WVU Coliseum on January 24, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 27: Head coach Rick Stansbury of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers reacts in the fourth quarter against the Utah Utes during their 2018 National Invitation Tournament Championship semifinals game at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 27: Head coach Rick Stansbury of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers reacts in the fourth quarter against the Utah Utes during their 2018 National Invitation Tournament Championship semifinals game at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

The 2018 Myrtle Beach Invitational is the first of this year’s early-season non-conference tournaments. Who is expected to leave victorious?

Non-conference tournaments rule the November portion of the college basketball schedule and the inaugural Myrtle Beach Invitational brings in the start of “Feast Week” – a term used to describe the week and a half where almost all of these tournaments take place.

This new tournament was announced in April and will be held at the HTC Center at Coastal Carolina for at least the next three years, although the Chanticleers are not participating in the even this year (they are slated to in 2019).

Instead, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, and UCF highlight the field that also includes Cal State Fullerton, Monmouth, Saint Joseph’s, Valparaiso, and Wake Forest.

The HTC Center served as the host site for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off last November, which had to be moved from Puerto Rico due to the aftermath of Hurricane Maria hitting the island. ESPN Events, which runs the Tip-Off, was impressed with Myrtle Beach’s ability to host the tournament, so they decided to give the city a new tournament of its own.

And, of course, every game will be televised on the ESPN family of networks.

The opener between Saint Joseph’s and Wake Forest will be played at 11:30 am ET on Thursday, 11/15, serving as the first official game of Feast Week.

So, just how good are these eight teams participating in the Myrtle Beach Invitational, and who are the favorites to win it? Here’s a full preview for the tournament with predictions for every game.

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