NCAA Basketball: Under-evaluated headlines of the week (Pre-season tournament edition)

Nov 24, 2014; Bloomington, IN, USA; Basketball showing the IU logo before the game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Eastern Washington Eagles at Assembly Hall. Eastern Washington Eagles beats Indiana Hoosiers by the score of 86-84. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

NCAA basketball’s 2K Sports Classic released the field for the 2017 tournament.

It’s the now the beginning of September. Recruits are taking visits, teams are settling into school for the fall semester, coaches are approaching crunch time and fans are increasingly gaining excitement as the regular season is just over two months away.

(Just think, very soon we will be evaluating teams on the court and players will begin to either stand out or become bust material.)

We cover all the major headlines and preview the world of college basketball here at Busting Brackets, but every week there will be under-evaluated storylines that need some extra attention.

Sure, they may not be breaking news stories, similar to a monster commitment or a surprising transfer, but they are important in terms of tracking your favorite recruit, team, player or even coach.

In the lead up to the start of the college basketball regular season in mid-November, Busting Brackets will have those under-evaluated headlines covered at the end of every week.

This week we continue with four stories, including a couple 2017 pre-season tournament fields that were revealed, a 2018 recruit took a visit to UConn, and Rutgers using Twitter as a recruiting tactic.

Mar 10, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Providence Friars head coach Ed Cooley talks to players during time out against Butler Bulldogs during the second half of Big East conference tournament at Madison Square Garden. Providence Friars defeated Butler Bulldogs 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

2017 2K Sports Classic field released

As one of the top preseason tournaments in all of college basketball, the 2K Sports Classic brings four teams and fan bases from across the country for a two-day event at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

This year’s field is a downgrade from 2015. Michigan and Pittsburgh should be middle-of-the-pack teams in their respective conferences. SMU is losing Nic Moore and head coach Larry Brown resigned. Marquette has loads of talent, but they are still inexperienced and may not playing their best basketball in November.

However, the 2017 field, which was released earlier this week, will create some intriguing storylines and consist of some of the most passionate fans in the country.

The Hoosiers may lose Thomas Bryant and OG Anunoby to the NBA, but they still possess a plethora of alumni in New York City. Hoosier fanatics travel in packs and will surely fill up Madison Square Garden in November 2017.

Providence is just three and a half hours from midtown Manhattan, and the Friar Fanatics have been very active during the Big East Tournament in recent years. Ed Cooley’s squad does not have a single senior on the roster in 2016-17, so their team shouldn’t lack continuity and talent a year from now.

Buzz Williams’ Virginia Tech Hokies are not a powerhouse in the ACC, but they have slowly become a team to watch within the conference. They have improved drastically since Williams’ first year on the job when they finished 11-22 overall and 2-16 in conference play.

The final team in the field is Washington. The Huskies will likely lose future top-five NBA Draft selection Markelle Fultz, however, Michael Porter Jr. is joining the team in 2017. The Huskies also have shooting guard Jaylen Nowell, point guard Blake Harris and big man Mamoudou Diarra in their top-five recruiting class.

They remain in the mix for one of the top point guards in the class, Porter’s AAU teammate, Trae Young.

Mar 17, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Xavier Musketeers head coach Chris Mack looks on during a practice day before the first round of the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Las Vegas Classic field announced

The Xavier Musketeers, the Arizona State Sun Devils, the George Washington Colonials and the Kansas State Wildcats will headline the 2017 Las Vegas Classic.

The Musketeers have become a consistent contender since joining the Big East in 2013. They were a top-10 team for the majority of the season last year, made the Sweet 16 in 2015 and could have Edmond Sumner and Trevon Bluiett still on the roster next year.

Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils haven’t seen their results turn on the court, but they are a local program that should bring a strong fan base to Las Vegas. They are in the midst of a rebuilding process, so ASU should be improved in 2017.

After winning the NIT this past year, George Washington has an underrated team heading into 2016-17. They won’t have Tyler Cavanaugh for the 2017 Las Vegas Classic, however, they are normally a contender in the Atlantic 10 and will have Yuta Watanabe, Jaren Sina and Kevin Marfo leading the program a year from now.

Because Bruce Weber has been on the hot seat for the last year or so, things could change drastically in the “The Little Apple.” Kamau Stokes, Dean Wade and Barry Brown will headline (for now) a Wildcats team that could potentially break out next season if everything falls into line.

Mar 17, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Kevin Ollie reacts during the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

2018 big Moses Brown visits UConn unofficially

On August 29, 6’11” 2018 center Moses Brown was offered a scholarship by Kevin Ollie and the Connecticut Huskies. Shortly following the offer, Brown took an unofficial visit to the UConn campus, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.

Brown, a native of Briarwood, NY, is currently labeled as a four-star recruit and is ranked 19th in ESPN’s top 60 for the class of 2018. ESPN has Brown ranked as the second best center and the second best player in the state of New York.

In addition to UConn, the big man has offers from a plethora of high major schools, including Arizona, Florida, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, St. John’s, Seton Hall, UCLA and USC.

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2018 is a ways away, but the Huskies are losing two critical front court pieces following this upcoming season – Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey are graduating. Even though UConn still has young pieces in Mamadou Diarra, Juwan Durham, Steven Enoch and Vance Jackson, adding more depth and youth is always welcomed.

Brown has great size, length, mobility, hands and touch. Because of his physical tools and instincts, he is an excellent rim protector, shot blocker and rebounder.

His mobility and soft hands will help him fit perfectly into UConn’s system. Brown can run the floor and make plays in transition effectively, while also having the ability to provide value in pick-and-roll situations.

Brown’s weakness lies in the post, where he has yet to develop counter moves and does not pose enough strength to bully opposing bigs. The seven-footer must improve his consistency and build some kind of range on his jumper (mid-range is more likely than anything).

Regardless, Brown still has two more years of high school basketball. He could not only build up muscle and work on his overall game, but he can grow to be even taller than he already is.

One major program is going to reel in a gem in 2018.

Dec 8, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights cheerleaders and mascot during timeout of game against the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. Rutgers Scarlet Knights defeat the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils 75-59. Mandatory Credit: Jim O’Connor-USA TODAY Sports

Rutgers’ Twitter recruiting tactic

Rutgers created a Twitter war earlier this week as they posted a picture with the total professional earnings of players that have been coached by Rutgers staff members.

With Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Jeremy Lamb, Andre Drummond and Shabazz Napier in the photo, UConn Huskie fans were none to pleased.

It wasn’t just UConn though. The graphic created a ton of backlash.

But why wouldn’t Rutgers express their credentials to the rest the nation? Why not let other recruits know who their staff members have coached and dealt with on a daily basis in the past? Every other program in America is likely doing the same thing (without exposing their message on a social media network), so I have no problem with Rutgers doing everything they possibly can to increase their success within the Big Ten.

The knock on former head coach Eddie Jordan was his work ethic. He didn’t necessarily develop great relationships with AAU and high school coaches in the area, and Rutgers didn’t succeed (in fact, they seemed to get worse) in his time in New Jersey.

Steve Pikiell played point guard at UConn and was an assistant at the school for one season in the 1990s. After leading Stony Brook to the NCAA Tournament last season, Pikiell has done a solid job since taking over as the Rutgers head coach. He’s brought in four new recruits, Issa Thiam, Matt Bullock, Candido Sa and Eugene Omoruyi, and has extended offers to multiple others to build for the future.

Karl Hobbs, one of Pikiell’s assistants, had two stints as a UConn assistant under Jim Calhoun. He had the opportunity to coach and develop numerous current pro players.

If your wondering why Steven Adams is also in the graphic, that’s because assistant Brandin Knight was a member of the Pittsburgh program from 2008-2016.

You have to do whatever it takes to impress the high school talents…especially in a loaded New Jersey area..right?

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