NCAA Basketball: 2023 Myrtle Beach Invitational preview and predictions
By Joey Loose
Top Half Previews
College of Charleston (1-1)
Last season was really special in Charleston, as Pat Kelsey pulled off some magic in just his second season at the helm. The Cougars won 31 games, made the NCAA Tournament, and asserted themselves as one of the nation’s best mid-major teams. With pieces like Dalton Bolon and Ryan Larson gone, things are a bit different for these Cougars, though they’re still in remarkable shape to cause damage in the CAA this season even after a shaky start.
Big man Ante Brzovic is back, one of several juniors expected to play a major role for the Cougars. He led the way with 17 points in their opening night win over Iona, though Charleston really struggled in an 18-point loss late last week to Duquesne. With returners like Reyne Smith and newcomers like CJ Fulton, the Cougars still have the potential to cause major damage in the CAA this season, looking to use this even in Myrtle Beach as a way to shake off that defeat against Duquesne.
Vermont (2-0)
A recent regular occurrence in the America East is that Vermont wins the regular season title. These Catamounts have asserted themselves as one of the sport’s most dominant programs in their own league, though things look rather different this season. Dylan Penn, Finn Sullivan, and a few others are gone, replaced by a large swath of transfers that John Becker has lured to Vermont, though they’ve produced solid results two games into the year.
Transfers Shamir Bogues and TJ Long have made significant impacts in those two opening wins, albeit against weaker foes in Merrimack and Plattsburgh State. The interior offense has been impressive to this point, though every aspect of the Catamounts will be more significantly challenged in this tournament. This program wins games every year; can they prove that they belong again with a great showing down in South Carolina?
Saint Louis (3-0)
While the postseason results haven’t always been there, Saint Louis has been a sneaky good program since Travis Ford was hired back in 2016. Sure, they’ve only made one Big Dance under his leadership but they’ve surpassed 20 wins in each of the last four full seasons. Obviously, things are very different this year after losing Yuri Collins, Javonte Perkins, Javon Pickett and others, but new talent has the Billikens looking good early in the season.
Three wins to open the season has the Billikens sitting pretty, though the toughest of those games was last Saturday against Illinois State at home. Terrence Hargrove, Gibson Jimerson, and Sincere Parker are all averaging at least 15 points a game while a slew of transfers are being used in supporting roles as well. It’s hard to complain too much about this start to the season, though we’ll learn a lot more about Saint Louis this upcoming weekend and how life goes without some of those studs from last year.
Wyoming (2-0)
Jeff Linder got Wyoming to the NCAA Tournament in 2022, doing an amazing coaching job with this program, but last year was a significant struggle. Injuries and inconsistent play significantly hampered the Cowboys’ efforts. There’s no more Hunter Maldonado or Graham Ike and a bunch of new faces have taken their spots on this roster. Big wins over Northern New Mexico and Cal Poly were great but what do they truly mean in the long run?
Senior guards Sam Griffin and Akuel Kot, who both transferred in this season, are averaging 18.5 points per game while freshman Cam Manyawu has had decent scoring numbers as well. The next wave of talent in Wyoming certainly looks promising, including 7’0 0center Oleg Kojenets, a Nebraska transfer who is just a sophomore. Much as is the case for the other teams in this field, Wyoming gets a big test at Myrtle Beach, especially with all the fluidity and new pieces in this rotation.