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

3. Washington State and Nebraska looks to avoid embarrassment

In the Cayman Islands Classic, the two teams arguably with the highest profiles are Loyola-Chicago and George Mason, who have each reached a Final Four in the past decade. New Mexico State is another mid-major participant who has reached 30 wins multiple seasons recently. The two high-majors playing are Nebraska and Washington State, programs who have little hoops history they want to speak of publicly. Both are in the middle of rebuilding campaigns with first-year head coaches who are looking for positive results to gain momentum going forward.

It’s been a rough start for both, with the Cornhuskers falling to UC Riverside and Southern Utah already, while the Cougars couldn’t overcome Santa Clara. Considering that they play each other in the quarterfinals, one of them is guaranteed at least a decent win. But considering the level of the other competition, it’s amazing that neither are considered real favorites to win the event. Ultimately, the goal for both programs should be to avoid another bad loss to a low-level mid-major squad.

4. Battle of likely “bubble teams” in NIT Season Tip-Off

This year’s NIT Season Tip-Off might not feature ranked opponents but it shapes up to be one of the most consequential. The teams involved are Ole Miss, Penn State, Syracuse and Oklahoma State, all projected as middle-of-the-pack teams in their respective conferences. If that turns out to be correct, all of them will be hovering around the bubble at some point this season.

That’s huge for whichever team comes out of this event as the champion, as well as two wins that’ll be a positive on their resume. On the other end, the 4th place team not only won’t improve their resume, but they’ll also add two losses that they might not be able to afford. In an odd way though, all four participants will be rooting for one another the rest of the season to help everyone’s resumes.