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SALT LAKE CITY — Opening weekend of the college football season is still six weeks away for most programs.
College basketball is that much further away. But for two local programs, the season can't come soon enough — at least, according to ESPN.
ESPN Events released its full slate of early-season college basketball tournaments Thursday, and among the smattering of top-tier games are BYU and Utah State at the top.
The Cougars will play in the 2021 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, set to run Dec. 22-25 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. And when BYU opens the tournament Dec. 22 against South Florida, ESPN's Joe Lunardi and Myron Medcalf expect the Cougars to be contenders to win the whole thing.
Ditto for new Aggie coach Ryan Odom and Utah State, which opens the Myrtle Beach Invitational in South Carolina on Nov. 18.
Here's how the two sides stack up against the field and why each team should like their chances.
Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic
Dates: Dec. 22, 23 and 25
Site: Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii
Field: Liberty, Northern Iowa, Wyoming, Stanford, Hawaii, Vanderbilt
Why ESPN believes BYU is the team to beat: "Mark Pope lost some key players but star Alex Barcello (16.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.3 APG, 47.7% from the 3-point line) could be the most dominant player — apologies to Vandy's Scotty Pippen Jr. (20.8 PPG) — in this event. Plus, Milwaukee transfer Te'Jon Lucas (14.9 PPG, 5.8 APG) should make an immediate impact, too," says Myron Medcalf, ESPN staff writer.
Lunardi says: "What's not to like, especially if you — like me — follow bubble teams all year long? This eight-team field is loaded with them. ... This is a terrific event, and you won't want to miss it, if you're out in the Hawaiian Islands."
Myrtle Beach Invitational
Dates: Nov. 18, 19 and 21
Site: HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina
Field: Davidson, East Carolina, Indiana State, New Mexico State, Oklahoma, Old Dominion, Penn, Utah State
Why ESPN believes the Aggies are the team to beat: "Despite losing star Neemias Queta to the NBA draft and losing head coach Craig Smith to rival Utah, Utah State and new head coach Ryan Odom possess a group that returns standout Justin Bean (11.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG) from a team that reached the NCAA Tournament last season while adding transfers Brandon Horvath (13.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG) and R.J. Eytle-Rock (14.3 PPG, 40% from 3-point line) from UMBC, Odom's former school," says Medcalf.
