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NCAA Basketball: 10 key storylines for 2019 non-conference tournaments

By Tristan Freeman

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – MARCH 23: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats handles the ball on offense against the Purdue Boilermakers in the first half during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at XL Center on March 23, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – MARCH 23: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats handles the ball on offense against the Purdue Boilermakers in the first half during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at XL Center on March 23, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

The non-conference NCAA Basketball tournaments are starting up. What are some key storylines involving some of the teams involved?

There are several stages of the NCAA Basketball season that are fans enjoy. They include the obvious NCAA Tournament in late March, the 32 conference tournaments in early March and conference play during the months of January and February.

But don’t overlook what happens during the non-conference portion, including the two dozen tournaments/events that take place. It features many compelling matchups that have major consequences going forward. With no further need for an introduction, here are some storylines I’m looking forward to in the next couple of weeks.

1. Bryan Antoine’s potential impact on Villanova

The Villanova Wildcats are the headliner for the Myrtle Beach Invitational, which includes Baylor and Mississippi State. But they took a big hit a week ago, when they lost by 25 points in a blowout loss to Ohio State. This time though, they’ll be at full strength with the debut of Bryan Antoine. The five-star recruit has yet to play this season after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason.

It was thought at one point that he’d be out until at least January, possibly the entire season. But now the Wildcats have another offensive weapon alongside Saddiq Bey and Jeremiah Earl-Robinson. It’ll be our first look with what Villanova will truly look like the rest of the way.

2. Florida is either a contender or a pretender

There might not be a team under more pressure to win their respective non-conference tournament than Florida, who went from a preseason top-10 team to currently unranked after a pair of losses to Florida State and UConn. Those defeats on their own merits aren’t problematic but the Gators look far from a national title contender as some originally thought. Even with grad transfer Kerry Blackshear and five-star talents joining the team, the offense still is an issue for Coach White to deal with.

Entering the Charleston Classic, Florida will face the likes of potentially Miami, Xavier or have a possible rematch with UConn. A week ago, the Gators would’ve been a heavy favorite to win the three games. Now, they might even fall to a Saint Joe’s squad who actually did beat UConn. Another loss this weekend will only sound the alarms more for this team.

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