NCAA Basketball: 2019 Las Vegas Invitational preview and predictions

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: Kyler Edwards #0 and Davide Moretti #25 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders react against the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

3 of 5

MIAMI, FL – NOVEMBER 25: Ivan Gandia-Rosa #21 of the North Florida Ospreys controls the ball against Anthony Lawrence II #3 of the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes at the Watsco Center on November 25, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

Bottom bracket teams

Cal Poly

The Mustangs have ranked below 300th in KenPom each of the last three years, and that doesn’t look like it will be any different this season. They’re 1-5 so far, and they have yet to beat an NCAA team. Cal Poly’s relative strength is its shooting (33.8 from 3-point range, 135th in the country), but everything else is atrocious. Junior Ballard is their leading scorer with 11.8 points per game, while 6’10 Tuukka Jaakkola is also in double digits, shooting 68 percent from the field.

LIU

Formerly the Blackbirds, this is LIU’s first year competing as the Sharks after the university’s two previously separate campuses merged this summer. The change in identity hasn’t exactly done LIU any wonders on the court, though: they’re 1-5 with their one win coming against KenPom No. 351 Delaware State. The Sharks play fast — like really fast (31st nationally in pace), take nearly half their shots from outside the arc and are led by Raiquan Clark (20.0 ppg) and Tyrn Flowers (14.8 ppg, 11.8 rpg).

North Florida

On paper, the 4-3 Ospreys are by far the best team in the undercard bracket: they led Creighton at halftime and rank 172nd in KenPom. Tthey take an even higher percentage of threes than the Sharks, hitting an elite 38 percent of them. That’s a good thing — just seven teams are worse from two-point range than North Florida. The Ospreys feature four players in double-digits point-wise, including Carter Hendricksen, averaging 15.7 points and 8.6 rebounds, and point guard Ivan Gandia-Rosa, who dishes out over six assists a game.

Tennessee State

The Tigers are 3-3 and ranked 277th in KenPom. Like LIU and North Florida, they take a ton of threes and knock plenty down (90th nationally), with their four leading scorers — Michael Littlejohn, Carlos Marshall Jr., Wesley Harris and Jy’lan Washington — all capable from outside. Tennessee State is actually even better inside the arc, hitting 58 percent of its twos, but its fatal flaw is that it can’t stop turning over: the Tigers cough it up on over a quarter of their trips up the court.

Home/NCAA Basketball News