NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 8 teams in 2024 Cayman Islands Classic

The Cayman Islands Classic is one of the many multi-team event non-conference tournaments in the first month of the NCAA Basketball, one that flies under the radar since there's a lack of notable high-major teams. However, there's usually a crop of solid mid-majors that play in this event, including four who made the NCAA Tournament last season.

Those teams were Akron, Drake, Utah State, and Oakland, with Utah State beating Stephen F. Austin by 30 points in the finals to win the event. Considering that they were an at-large team, their not losing a game proved to be important for their resume.

And now, we have a new crop of programs for next season’s Cayman Islands Classic. Although a couple of high-majors elected to drop out, there’s still a solid group of eight programs joining, including some with the potential to win their respective leagues. 

But who on paper should be the favorite to win? Based on the current rosters, here’s a power ranking of the participants. 

8. Hampton Pirates

2023-24 season record: 9-24 (3-15 in CAA)

After finishing last in the CAA last season, Hampton went through plenty of roster changes. But what gives them hope is the return of forward Kyrese Mullen, who led the team with 14.8 ppg and 8.4 rpg. Joining him is a new batch of transfers, including most notably, Noah Farrakhan and Wayne Bristol Jr.

Even if the Pirates do improve, they still have a long way to go toward being competitive in the CAA. But with Mullen on board, they at least have some starpower to compete in this tournament. 

7. Missouri State Bears

2023-24 season record: 17-16 (8-12 MVC)

It’s a complete rebuilding effort for the Bears, losing the top nine scorers on the roster. They have several JUCO transfers to reload, including forwards, Sean Murray and Wesley Oba.

Point guard Dez White averaged 7.9 ppg at Austin Peay and was an all-conference freshman performer. He’ll have the chance to run the offense at Missouri State and they’ll need a big breakout campaign to finish in the top half of the Missouri Valley Conference. Their roster is a big unknown right now but could be a surprise team to watch.