Top 10 Pre-Season College Basketball Tournaments

Over the past ten years, college basketball has evolved to consider all mini-tournaments that occur before conference play begins as “pre-season” tournaments. Most college coaches use the November and December schedule to build team confidence as well as strategically play ranked and strong mid-major opponents in order to build a better RPI strength of schedule and a subsequent more impressive resume for the NCAA tournament selection committee. The following are what I hold to be the “Top 10″ pre-season tournaments to check-out for some great basketball. My choices were made based off of the 2009-10 pre-season rankings and overall team matchups. A bit for fans of all major conferences. If you have others that you think belong, please leave in the comments.

Top 10 Pre-Season Collge Basketball Tournaments

#1 Pre-Season College Basketball Tournament – ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Dates: Nov. 30-Dec. 2

Nov. 30: Penn State at Virginia

Dec. 1: Maryland at Indiana; Michigan State at North Carolina; Northwestern at N.C. State; Virginia Tech at Iowa; Wake Forest at Purdue

Dec. 2: Boston College at Michigan; Duke at Wisconsin; Florida State at Ohio State; Illinois at Clemson; Minnesota at Miami

#2 Pre-Season College Basketball Tournament – Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series

Dates: Nov. 29-Dec. 22

Nov. 29: Nebraska at USC

Dec. 3: Washington at Texas Tech; USC at Texas; Baylor at Arizona State

Dec. 4: Colorado at Oregon State

Dec. 5: Oregon at Missouri; Iowa State at California; Washington State at Kansas State

Dec. 6: Kansas at UCLA; Arizona at Oklahoma

Dec. 16: Oklahoma State at Stanford

Dec. 22: Texas A&M at Washington

#3 Pre-Season College Basketball Tournament – SEC/Big East Invitational

Dates: Dec. 9-10 at Madison Square Garden (New York)

Dec. 9: Georgia vs. St. John’s; Kentucky vs. UConn

Dec. 10: DePaul vs. Mississippi State; Syracuse vs. Florida

#4 Pre-Season College Basketball Tournament – Legends Classic

Dates: Nov. 18-22 (campus sites); Nov. 27-28 (semifinals and final in Newark, N.J.)
Teams: Michigan State, Florida, Rutgers, UMass

Michigan State: Valparaiso, Toledo
Florida: Georgia Southern, Troy
Rutgers: Vermont, Drexel

UMass: Cornell, one TBD

#5 Pre-Season College Basketball Tournament – Cancun Challenge

Dates: Nov. 18-25 (Nov. 24-25 in Cancun, Mexico)
Teams: Kentucky, Stanford, Virginia, Cleveland State, Oral Roberts, Sam Houston State, Rider, Florida A&M

Nov. 24: Stanford vs. Virginia; Kentucky vs. Cleveland State

Nov. 25: Championship and Consolation

#6 Pre-Season College Basketball Tournament – Puerto Rico Tip-Off

Dates: Nov. 19-22 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Teams: Dayton, George Mason, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas State, Villanova, Boston University, Ole Miss

Nov. 19: Dayton vs. Georgia Tech, George Mason vs. Villanova, Indiana vs. Ole Miss, Boston University vs. Kansas State

#7 Pre-Season College Basketball Tournament – Paradise Jam

Dates: Nov. 20-23 in Virgin Islands
Teams: Boston College, DePaul, East Carolina, Northern Iowa, Purdue, South Dakota State, Saint Joseph’s, Tennessee

Nov. 20: DePaul vs. Northern Iowa; Tennessee vs. East Carolina; Boston College vs. Saint Joseph’s; Purdue vs. South Dakota State

Maui Invitational

Dates: Nov. 23-25 in Maui, Hawaii
Teams: Arizona, Gonzaga, Cincinnati, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Colorado, Chaminade

Nov. 23: Colorado vs. Gonzaga; Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt ; Maryland vs. Chaminade; Arizona vs. Wisconsin

#8 Pre-Season College Basketball Tournament – 76 Classic

Dates: Nov. 26-27, 29 in Anaheim, Calif.
Teams: UCLA, Clemson, Butler, West Virginia, Minnesota, Texas A&M, Long Beach State, Portland

Nov. 26: West Virginia vs. Long Beach State; Clemson vs. Texas A&M; Butler vs. Minnesota; UCLA vs. Portland


#9 Pre-Season College Basketball Tournament – Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase
Date:
Nov. 17 in St. Louis, Mo., at Scottrade Center
Teams: Kansas, Memphis, Louisville, Arkansas, Central Arkansas, Oakland, Tennessee Tech (on Kansas-Memphis side), Appalachian State, East Tennessee State, Morgan State (on Arkansas-Louisville side)
Games: Louisville vs. Arkansas; Kansas vs. Memphis

#10 Pre-Season College Basketball Tournament – Wooden Classic

Date: Dec. 12 in Anaheim, Calif.
Games: Mississippi State vs. UCLA; Washington vs. Georgetown

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About Will Harney

Will is the admin of the site. A life-long college basketball fan who appreciates quality basketball played anywhere in the country, he works to bring the latest college basketball schedule and tournament information to sports fans.