The Champions Classic was the start of early-season tournament season in men’s college basketball, with powerhouses Michigan State beating Kentucky in double overtime, while reigning national champion Kansas took down Duke without head coach Bill Self. Seven more tournaments will follow this month and next, with a slate that highlights some of the game’s top programs and elite players.
Here is your handy guide to the men’s games that will all appear on the ESPN family of networks through the rest of 2022.
Jump to an event: Charleston Classic | Myrtle Beach Invitational | Wooden Legacy | Phil Knight Invitational (PKI) | Phil Knight Legacy | ESPN Events Invitational | Diamond Head Classic
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Jackson throws it down vs. South Carolina State
2022 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic
Dates: Nov. 17-18, 20
Site: TD Arena, Charleston, South Carolina
First-round matchups:
Furman Paladins vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
Old Dominion Monarchs vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Colorado State Rams vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
Davidson Wildcats vs. Charleston Cougars
Team to beat: Virginia Tech experienced some crucial turnover this offseason — Keve Aluma and Nahiem Alleyne are both gone — but Mike Young has endured change throughout his career, and still managed to average 21 wins over the past five seasons. Hunter Cattoor (11.3 PPG) and Justyn Mutts (9.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG) join Wright State transfer Grant Basile (18.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.7 BPG) as Virginia Tech aims to win this event and keep Young’s streak alive.
Sleeper team: Davidson. The Wildcats lost two of their top three scorers from last season (Hyunjung Lee and Luka Brajkovic) and Bob McKillop is retired now. But his son, new head coach Matt McKillop, has Foster Loyer (28.3 PPG, 46.7% from the 3-point line), the program’s leading scorer last year, to succeed here and beyond — including competing for the Atlantic 10 title in the first season of Davidson basketball without Bob McKillop since 1989.
Player to watch: G.G. Jackson. He was a top prospect in the 2023 class before he made the decision to reclassify into the 2022 class, decommit from North Carolina and then commit to new head coach Lamont Paris and South Carolina — suddenly making the Gamecocks a must-watch program in 2022-23.
Something for the college hoops junkies: When Drexel transfer Camren Wynter, a key pickup for Penn State this offseason, was on the floor last season, the Dragons shot 53% from inside the arc.
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KJ Simpson and Tristan da Silva are the…
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