Bracketology 2024: 5 MTEs that will impact the bracket in March

The old saying goes, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. When it comes to the college basketball season I’d argue it’s more like a speed walk. Yes, the season is five months long, but once it starts, it’s gone in the blink of an eye compared to other sports. One minute we’re watching games on Maui and the next it’s Michigan vs. Michigan State in January. Before we know it we’re staring Championship Saturday in the face on the eve of Selection Sunday.

For that reason, the entirety of the college basketball season holds extreme importance from game one until the Big Ten tournament champion is crowned. That is why the Weekend Watchlist will come to you from the first week in November until championship week. Each week we will take a look at college basketball’s biggest storylines heading into the weekend through the lens of bracketology. That could mean taking a look at the weekend’s biggest matchups or a common theme among games or teams that will have ramifications come March.

Now that you have an idea of what the weekend watchlist is about, it’s time to get to the meat and potatoes of why we’re here, the action on the floor, and what it means for March.

We have entered MTE season which normally stands for multi-team events but should stand for Make Them Take Notice Events. This is the biggest opportunity for a lot of teams to get that signature resume win and propel themselves into the early discussion of dangerous NCAA tournament teams. It worked for Charleston last season when they won the Charleston Classic and nearly beat San Diego State in the Big Dance. Making a statement could mean different things depending on the field of the tournament and the games that take place within. This week we’ll look at five MTEs where teams can make a big statement.