A pair of ranked teams and four squads who saw post-season action last year are among the eight who will converge at Lake Buena Vista in the shadow of the Magic Kingdom for a dozen contests and give fans a holiday hoops feast.
Here are eight prime reasons to feast on the 2013 Old Spice Classic:
1. Marcus Smart – if you haven’t already, you will want to Get Smart on your tee vee. While this year’s freshmen are getting loads of ink (as well they should), Smart might be the best player in the country. A 6’4″ guard who can handle and see the floor. Those guys don’t come around too often. He will be coming to an NBA team near you. Smart and Oklahoma State open the Classic against Purdue at noon on Thanksgiving.
2. Memphis looking for redemption – Josh Pastner and his Memphis Tigers looked rather pedestrian in a 101-80 loss to the Cowboys just last week. The Tigers have their own NBA potential (Nick King and Austin Nichols). It is yet to be seen if they can mesh. There is reason to be motivated.
3. DeAndre Bembry – The 6-6 freshman can score from outside (6-13 behind the arc) and take it to the rack. It helps that Bembry is playing in a seasoned St. Joseph’s lineup with Langston Galloway, Halil Kanacevic, Ronald Roberts, Jr. and Chris Wilson.
4. Johnny O’Bryant III and the war on the boards – LSU’s Tigers have a +15 rebounding margin, and O’Bryant grabs 11.5 boards per game.
5. Butler is undefeated – New league, new coach and minus their star, but the Bulldogs are 4-0. Can it be the Butler way? The Bulldogs barely hung around the Atlantic 10 long enough for their banner to gather dust in opposing gyms, and they are off to the Big East…without Brad Stevens who is off to Beantown. To make matters worse, Roosevelt Jones is done for the season with an injured wrist. Those who know Butler ball, know the Bulldogs’ success predates Stevens and Jones. With a win over Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs show potential for another story.
6. Purdue averages 86 points a game – Yep! You read that right. Big Ten teams are pouring it in this year (see Bo Ryan’s Wisconsin Badgers who are foregoing the the wheel for dribble drive or something like that). Bryson Scott, Terone Johnson, Ronnie Johnson and A.J. Hammons will make Thursday’s opener versus Oklahoma State must-see-tee-vee.
7. Ike Iroegbu – Washington State’s freshman guard is 20th in the Pac-12 and fourth among rookies scoring 11.8 per game.
8. Mickey, Minnie and Jimmy – Patsos that is. Jimmy Patsos is six games into (2-4) his rebuilding project with the Siena Saints. Siena is three years removed from making three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. A spot in the Dance is unlikely this year, but Patsos has the squad from Loudonville, NY moving in the right direction. In the meantime, Patsos offers more than his share of amusing sound bytes.
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