- The Field of 68 Daily
- Posts
- MTE matchups we'd LOVE to see
MTE matchups we'd LOVE to see
The Battle 4 Atlantis, Maui Invitational, Charleston Classic and Diamond Head Classic are upcoming 8-team events. Which matchups should you HOPE for? Plus, Creighton adds a potential starter, two notable coaches deal with robberies, Northwestern's promising freshman, and lessons in chemistry for Kentucky.
Tristan Freeman
August 23, 2024
Good morning! Except if you’re a person who’s robbed a coach. Don’t they have enough BS to deal with in the transfer portal?
1. We know MTE brackets. What about the best games?
On Thursday, more brackets were revealed for some notable multi-team events for the 2024-25 season. That includes the first matchups and the paths for each team to make the finals.
This gives us a good idea of some potential games we could see during Feast Week — including some that’d be worth skipping an NFL game to watch.
Here’s a look at the revealed brackets and what would be some ideal future battles.
Battle 4 Atlantis
Matchups:
Louisville vs Indiana
Gonzaga vs West Virginia
Providence vs Oklahoma
Arizona vs Davidson
Matchup we want: Gonzaga vs Arizona
Gonzaga and Arizona used to have a non-conference series before longtime Zags assistant Tommy Lloyd took over the Wildcats. Coach Mark Few has historically avoided playing his former assistants, but he might not be able to avoid it in this tournament if they were to meet in the finals. Along with Indiana, Zags and Zona are the top teams in the field and the battle of coaches would be a major storyline for the entire week, and maybe beyond. Also, the game would be a blast (and maybe reach 200 total points).
Maui Invitational
Matchups:
UConn vs Memphis
Michigan State vs Colorado
Auburn vs Iowa State
North Carolina vs Dayton
Matchup we want: Iowa State vs UNC
There could be as many as five preseason Top 25 teams (maybe Michigan State squeaks in?) in this field and several coaches with at least one Final Four trip on their resume. Let’s assume some are tired of UConn. Fine. We could have a Top 10 showdown in the second round between the Cyclones and Tar Heels. RJ Davis might be the NPOY, while ISU’s defense should be among the best in the country.
Charleston Classic
Matchups:
Miami vs Drake
Oklahoma State vs FAU
Nevada vs Vanderbilt
Seton Hall vs VCU
Matchup we want: FAU vs VCU
Miami might be the only preseason Top 25 team. So what if two of the notable non-power conference teams met up? VCU returns its top scoring guards from last season, while FAU added several big-name transfers from the portal to rebuild its roster. That’s the kind of game that usually produces a memorable early season result that pays dividends in March.
Diamond Head Classic
Matchups
Oregon State vs Charleston
Loyola Chicago vs Oakland
Nebraska vs Murray State
Charlotte vs Hawaii
Matchup we want: Loyola Chicago vs Nebraska
The best storyline is in place. Loyola coach Drew Valentine faces his former coach, Oakland’s Greg Kampe. That’s where Valentine played and was an assistant. But that’s not necessarily the ideal showdown. That’s Loyola vs. Nebraska. Both are coming off strong seasons and have NCAA Tournament aspirations. I’m in..
2. Creighton snags a probable starter. In August!
We’re STILL not done adding players for the 2024-25 season. Not with this newly established European/International pipeline to college teams.