By PAUL GOTHAM
BUENA VISTA, FLA. — Three currently ranked teams, two receiving votes, another two on the rise and a program at its beginning convene at the HP Field House for the Advocare Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend.
No. 17 Notre Dame, No. 20 Wichita State, No. 23 Xavier, Dayton and Iowa all won at least one NCAA Tournament game a year ago. Monmouth opened this season knocking a Sweet Sixteen team from the 2015 field. Year three of Andy Enfield at USC has the Trojans finding their stride, and NBA veteran Avery Johnson is in the early stages of putting together his program at Alabama.
The 2015 Advocare Invitational tips off Thanksgiving day at noon with Xavier (4-0) and Alabama (2-1). Stir the gravy on the stove and settle in for this one. Chris Mack’s Musketeers made light work of then No. 24 Michigan Wolverines, 86-70 in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. The way the Musketeers pushed around their Big Ten foe, fans might have thought the game was being played in Cincinnati at the Cintas Center and not Michigan’s Crisler Center. Any chance of a hangover was dismissed when X dispatched Northern Kentucky, Monday night. James Farr (10 ppg/10 rpg) averages a double-double for the Musketeers.
The Crimson Tide looked more like a gentle wake from the flow of a trolling motor when they committed 20 turnovers in a 38-point loss to Dayton last week. Johnson is not afraid to start at square one and setbacks like the one that happened at UD Arena will serve as a basis for teaching. Dazon Ingram hands out 4.3 assists while scoring 9.3 for the Tide.
Wichita State (2-1) and USC (4-0) take the court next. A loss to Tulsa had Wichita State limping. News that senior point guard Fred VanVleet will miss time due to a hamstring injury will put a hitch in the Shockers’ gait. Then again, this is Gregg Marshall and when his teams have been counted out in the past, Marshall is at his best. Ron Baker nets more than 20 for the Shockers while handing out almost three helpers per game.
The Trojans won just 23 games the last two seasons. A recent victory over always tough New Mexico shows Enfield, the architect of Dunk City who took FGCU to the 2013 Sweet Sixteen, and USC might have turned the corner. Jordan McLaughlin (20.3 ppg) leads six Trojans averaging double figures per game.
Notre Dame (3-0) and Monmouth (2-1) get the evening sessions started. Notre Dame won this title (when it was known as the Old Spice Classic) in 2010. The Fighting Irish have yet to be truly tested in wins over Saint Francis (Pa.), Milwaukee and UMass-Lowell. Zach Auguste scores 17 and grabs 10 boards per game for the Irish. Demetrius Jackson averages more than 20 points and five assists per game for the Irish.
King Rice’s Hawks opened the season with a trip to the west coast and a shocking victory over 2015 Sweet Sixteen participant UCLA, 84-81. For an encore, Monmouth hung with USC 101-90 before winning at Drexel 82-74. The game holds personal interest for Rice who was heavily recruited by Notre Dame before deciding to attend North Carolina. Justin Robinson leads Monmouth with 24 points and 3.3 assists per game. Think water bug on hard court. Monmouth’s diminutive point guard (5-9 generous) slips in and out defenses.
Dayton (3-0) and Iowa (3-0) will bring day one to a close. Last time Dayton visited Buena Vista (2011), Archie Miller was in his first year at the helm of UD. Miller’s Flyers have won five NCAA Tournament games over the past two seasons, and this team might just be his best yet. James Madison transfer Charles Cooke leads the Flyers with 15.3 points per game, but Scoochie Smith (4.3 apg) makes the Flyers go.
Iowa dropped an exhibition game to Division II Augustana earlier in the season, but Fran McCaffery’s Hawkeyes are coming off an 89-61 victory over Marquette. Jarod Uthoff scores 16. 3 per game for Iowa. Anthony Clemmons adds 4.7 assists.
Looking ahead: there is a possibility that the four semi-finalists could all be ranked on Monday. There is a potential rematch between Notre Dame and Wichita State in the final. ND scorched the nets to the tune 18-of-24 (75 percent) during the second half of the 2015 Sweet Sixteen tilt between these two. A game which the Irish won 81-70. Dayton and Xavier could take the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy to the Sunshine State. The I-75 rivals have met 160 times in the past with UD holding an 86-74 edge. Outside of Ohio, Dayton and Xavier have played against each other in Philadelphia (Spectrum), Atlantic City (Boardwalk Hall) and at Madison Square Garden. Former Dayton coach Tom Blackburn and Xavier coach Jim McCafferty are given credit for bringing the respective programs to national prominence.
Paul Gotham is the founder, owner, editor and lead writer at Pickin’ Splinters. He is a contributor at USA Today and member of the USBWA. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PickinSplinters.
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