Paradise Jam Predictions

8. Quinnipiac - First year Head Coach Baker Dunleavy is going to do great things for this Quinnipiac program. Talent is on the way. Unfortunately it's too soon for them to have much success in this competitive tournament and they will have to struggle in three straight losses.

7. Drexel - The Dragons come to Lynchburg, VA a little banged up. To make matters worse, they have to face a formidable Houston squad in Round 1. Fortunately for Drexel, they will get to take out some frustration in the 7th place game against Quinnipiac.

6. Drake - Hard to not love what Niko Medved did as the Head Coach at Furman. Completely turned that program around and almost won the SoCon title last season. Now in his first year at Drake, he looks to repeat the same formula. And they open the Paradise Jam against a struggling Wake Forest team, which could be interesting. I see them falling short, but turning around and beating Quinnipiac before again falling short on Monday.

5. Mercer - The Mercer Bears are a sleeper team to win this tournament. They have a tough draw against the red hot hosts - Liberty. That should be a fun game to watch on opening day. Whoever loses that game is in the drivers seat to take 5th place. Since Liberty is at home, I am going to say Mercer takes 5th.

4. Wake Forest - This team is reeling after home losses to Georgia Southern and Liberty. Coach Danny Manning will bring his team to Lynchburg in search of answers. Luckily they face a rebuilding Drake team to get their confidence going. But after that I think the struggles will resurface and I see them finishing here.

3. Houston - Houston has a quality roster, led by talented Sophomore Armoni Brooks to go along with 6 Juniors and Seniors. This team tasted some success last year but fell short in bigger match-ups. It would do wonders for their confidence to win this tournament. I'm going on a limb and saying they will get stunned in the Semifinals and rebound to finish in 3rd place.

2. Liberty - Here is my boldest pick of the month so far. With Liberty hosting the tournament and coming off a road dismantling of Wake Forest, I see them coming in with a high level of confidence. Enough so to pull of upsets of Mercer and Houston. Let's see how this plays out.

1. Colorado - I've got the Buffaloes winning this tournament despite being the team that had to travel the furthest. I like that they draw Quinnipiac in the First Round which should allow them to keep their guys fresh. In the Semi's I see them handling Wake Forest, before knocking off Liberty in the Final. Overall, any of my top 5 here can win the Paradise Jam.

Islands of the Bahamas Showcase Predictions

8. James Madison - James Madison heads to the Bahamas still licking their wounds after losing by 16 at home against former arch rival Old Dominion. This JMU program is in rebuilding mode, and maybe this trip will help them grow as they look toward an uphill battle in the CAA later this season.  As for predictions, I see them unfortunately losing on three straight days this weekend.

7. UTSA - Head Coach Steve Henson inherited a program last year that finished dead last in the nation in Team Defense. Given that, you'd have to consider last season a major success. The Roadrunners went from 351st in Defense up to 134th.  This year they are off to a quick 2-0 start including a road win at Texas State. I see this team hanging tough throughout the tournament and leaving the Island with a 7th place win over JMU.

6. Weber State - This Wildcat team is hungry after just falling short in overtime last year while knocking on the door of the NCAA Tournament. They enter the Bahamas with a 2-0 record and ready to take on a tough test in Iona. Should be a heck of an opening round battle, but I see Weber State falling just short. Saturday, I think they handle JMU before again losing a tough game on Sunday against... 

5. Bradley - This Braves team is finally maturing after two rebuilding seasons. We will learn a lot about how far along they are by the time this weekend is over. They open up with a rough draw vs. Vermont in what I think will be a highly competitive game. I see them responding well after a tough loss to Vermont and leaving The Bahamas with a Two game winning streak in hand.

4. Coastal Carolina - Coastal comes into this weekend after losing a tough road game at Lamar. A game that was tight throughout and they just let it slip away at the end. I do believe the Chanticleers have enough fire power to take down UTSA on Friday. However, the road gets much tougher after that and I have them finishing here.

3. Iona - Coach Tim Cluess has been known to win preseason holiday tournaments in the past, and it would not surprise me if he won this one. Iona comes in pretty frustrated after close loses at Albany and at Syracuse. I believe here they beat Weber State in a close opening game, lose a heartbreaking Semifinal, and finish out Sunday with a win over CCU.

2. Northern Kentucky - It's hard not to like this Northern Kentucky team. They return the majority of their cast from last year's NCAA Tournament team including their leader Drew McDonald. NKU is off to a fast 2-0 start with a couple of blowouts. This is a great opportunity to get a couple of quality (75-150 RPI) wins. I see them winning a great battle in the Semifinals over Iona.

1.  Vermont - This is Vermont's tournament to lose. They have a quality roster led by Anthony Lamb. Aside from Lamb they have a stud off the bench in Drew Urquhart and key contributors Payton Henson, Trae Bell-Haynes, and Ernie Duncan. Look for the Catamounts to sweat in the opener against Bradley, breeze past Coastal, and win a real good Title game over NKU.

Gildan Charleston Classic Predictions

8. Ohio - The Bobcats are certainly no slouch. This is a Mid-Tier tournament across the board and someone has to finish in 8th. I see Ohio losing three consecutive close games in Charleston. I still expect Ohio to be a top half of the MAC team this season.

7. Indiana State - Coming off their very impressive 21-point win at Indiana, it was difficult to pick ISU 7th in Charleston. That result was directly due to red hot 3-point shooting (16-25 66% from deep). My prediction is they wont be able to get that hot in the early game (11:30am EST) vs. Auburn and again playing in the afternoon on Friday. If the Sycamores stay hot, watch out - they could win this thing.

6. Dayton - Anthony Grant's debut was a thriller as Dayton beat Ball State by one point at the buzzer. Once again they should be in quite a battle as the Flyers open up against Hofstra in Round 1. I see Hofstra squeaking that out and then Dayton taking care of in-state foe Ohio, before eventually landing in 6th after losing to....

5. Old Dominion - I really like this Old Dominion team thus far. They go 8-10 deep which is great for  three day tournament, and play a verteran lineup led by BJ Stith. I see the Monarchs losing a heart breaker in Round 1, but then bouncing back to win two straight over Indiana State and Dayton to leave Charleston feeling good.

4. Hofstra - The Pride got a nice draw here by drawing Dayton in the opener. Dayton is still trying to find themselves, whereas Hofstra has a deep bench and really strong leadership behind Senior's Rokas Gustys and Joel Angus. I see Hofstra getting a nice win over Dayton before running into too much talent against Clemson and Auburn.

3. Auburn - Despite having the most talented roster in the field, I just couldn't pick Auburn to win this tournament given the turmoil. Wiley and Purifoy remain suspended and Bruce Pearl is busy covering his tracks. It's a tough time to focus on getting three straight wins, but could also serve as the perfect getaway, we shall see.

2. Temple - The Owls have still not played a game this year! So I have to stick with where I had them preseason and that would be the 2nd best team in the field. Temple could easily land in any place 1-8 based on the parity of this tournament.

1. Clemson - Dear Clemson, you get to play this tournament in your home state against a slate of teams that you should beat. Please do not ruin this golden opportunity. I'm reluctantly choosing Clemson to beat Ohio, Hofstra, Temple to take the tournament. That would be a nice draw for the Tigers. Enjoy the games!

Puerto Rico Tip-Off Predictions

8. Appalachian State: Given the fact that the Mountaineers have only faced Toccoa Falls and Bridgewater thus far, it is practically impossible to know how good or bad they are thus far. We will learn more during this tournament. For now, I am sticking with my preseason prediction which had them as a bottom half Sun Belt team and that unfortunately means three straight losses in Myrtle Beach.

7. UTEP - I shouldn't doubt Tim Floyd's Miners. I know better. However, I have them losing two close games to Boise State and Illinois State before taking out some aggression and salvaging a win over Appalachian State. But don't be surprised to see UTEP do much better than this prediction.

6. Western Michigan - Thomas Wilder is the best player in this tournament and will be a treat to watch. In the Tip-Off tune up game at South Carolina he had 21 Pts, 6 Steals, and 5 assists. The Problem? They still lost to South Carolina by 18. With Wilder on the court, the Broncos are capable of hanging with anyone. I have them losing a tough one to Tulsa, then beating Appalachian State, followed by a loss to Illinois State. 

5. Illinois State - The Redbirds may in fact be the 2nd best team in this field. We will know more in a week. Unfortunately, they draw virtual hosts South Carolina in the opener.  The 1-2 punch of Keyshawn Evans and Phil Fayne will be the tandem to watch. They combined for 52 points in their opening loss at FGCU. I see Illinois State bouncing back nicely after their Opening day loss to South Carolina by beating both UTEP and WMU respectively.

4. Tulsa - I was really thrown for a loop when Tulsa lost their opener at home vs. Lamar. That loss raised some serious concerns. This tournament will be an opportunity for Frank Haith's club to come together and figure out their chemistry for the rest of the year.  They draw WMU to begin with, and I have a hunch they will get that win, and then run into a team also searching for an identity - the Iowa State Cyclones and lose close. Then I see them running out of gas in the 3rd place game.

3. Boise State - The Broncos come into this tournament feeling good after coasting to an easy 2-0 start. There's a lot to like about this team. They start three seniors (Chandler Hutchison, Lexus Williams, Christian Sengfelder) and they are getting great efficiency from Junior Zach Haney and Sophomore's Alex Hobbs and Justinian Jessup. On paper, they can make a run and win this thing.  The reason they won't win it is because they will run into South Carolina in a virtual home game in the semifianal. Despite falling short there, I predict the Broncos to bounce back with a nice win over Tulsa for 3rd.

2. Iowa State - This was a painful pick. When you look at the bottom half of the bracket, good luck successfully picking a team to make the final! The Cyclones certainly haven't earned this prediction after getting thoroughly beaten by both Missouri and Milwaukee. Sometimes, these tournaments act as a chance to getaway from distractions and just focus on your team and playing Basketball. Steve Prohm is a proven Head Coach and I am banking on him getting the team to gel out in Myrtle Beach. I think they have enough firepower to beat Appalachian State and Tulsa, but it wont be easy at all given the state of the team.

1. South Carolina - Many of us had doubts in South Carolina during the offseason after losing so many pieces from the Final Four team last year, and many predicted the Gamecocks at the bottom of the SEC. Well guess what? In two games against Wofford and WMU, South Carolina has cruised to easy victories at home. This tournament is essentially at home as well. And I like the way that Frank Martin has distributed minutes early.  Based on the limited information we have, South Carolina has to be the pick to win this.