Even if you are not an avid College Basketball fan, you probably watch March Madness. Or at the very least you have seen the highlights of last-second game winners and overtime thrillers that sports fans look forward to all year.
But what about the other 11 months of the year?
Here are four other major College Basketball tournaments that fans can tune in to see some of the same excitement of March at the beginning of the season:
2021 Myrtle Beach Invitational
- When: November 18, 19, and 21
- Where: Conway, South Carolina
- Who (matchups to be determined): East Carolina, Indiana State, New Mexico State, Oklahoma, Davidson, Penn, Old Dominion, and Utah State
Utah State comes into this one as the favorite, despite losing their star player Neemias Queta and former head coach Craig Smith.
Last year, New Mexico State shot nearly 50% of their field goals from the 3-point line. A style of play sure to create lots of action and excitement.
Be on the lookout for Davidson’s Hyunjang Lee, the Junior from South Korea played a major role in catapulting his country into the Olympics.
2021 ESPN Events Invitational
- When: November 25, 26 and 28
- Where: Orlando, Florida
- Who: North Texas vs. Kansas, Dayton vs. Miami, Alabama vs. Iona, and Belmont vs. Drake
Last year, the Jayhawks were arguably the best team in College Basketball and without much change in the roster, this year may be no different. Belmont hopes to start the season strong as one of the top Mid-major schools in the country.
It will be interesting to see how Alabama’s Jahvon Quinerly looks after two seasons riddled with scandals and investigation. Speaking of which, the prospect of an Alabama vs. Kansas final will be my reason to tune in to early season college basketball.
2021 Paycom Wooden Legacy
- When: November 25 and 26
- Where: Anaheim, California
- Who: USC vs. Saint Joseph’s, Georgetown vs. San Diego State
Despite losing star player Evan Mobley, the Trojans are returning a solid-looking squad. Led by Mobley’s brother, Isaiah, the Trojans look to be a powerhouse coming out of Southern California.
Another hot southern California team, San Diego State, is set to make a splash this season as well with former Cal scorer Matt Bradley.
Georgetown will be looking to build upon last season’s Big East Finals run with the addition of Five-Star recruit Aminu Mohammed.
With only 11 wins in the last 2 seasons, Saint John's Head Coach Billy Lange will be hoping to start the season strong and avoid a mid-year firing.
2021 NIT Season Tip-Off
- When: November 24 and 26
- Where: Brooklyn, New York
- Who: Xavier vs. Iowa State, Memphis vs. Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech comes into this one as favorites to win the tournament and maybe even the ACC championship as well.
Coming off an NIT championship, Memphis led by Head Coach Penny Hardaway, will be looking to finally break into the NCAA tournament.
With four-star recruit Tyrese Hunter, Iowa will be looking to make some noise early on in the season.
All of these tournaments are set to provide some insight and storylines about the rest of the College Basketball season. All that, mixed in with some Buzzer Beaters and posterizing dunks, promises to be a very entertaining November of College Basketball.
