Andy Katz | NCAA.com Correspondent | July 11, 2019 Ranking the best non-conference tournaments this upcoming college basketball season College hoops: Andy Katz's Power 36 ranking after the NBA Draft Share Andy Katz ranks the best non-conference tournaments on ESPN’s networks for the upcoming college basketball season. Below he breaks down the tournaments and storylines to follow: The top five 1. Atlantis (Nassau, Bahamas), Nov. 27-29 Matchups QF1: Michigan vs. Iowa State QF2: North Carolina vs. Alabama QF3: Gonzaga vs. Southern Miss QF4: Seton Hall vs. Oregon What to know Seton Hall should be a top 10 team, and winning this tournament would catapult the Pirates — and Myles Powell — toward a banner season. North Carolina’s Cole Anthony is as heralded of a newcomer as the Tar Heels have had recently. This tournament could allow him to become a household name. Gonzaga has a history of doing well in these highly-touted events and getting three wins in Atlantis will push the Zags into the top 10. This tournament could end up sending seven of the eight to the NCAA tournament with Michigan (new coach Juwan Howard), Oregon, Iowa State and Alabama (new coach Nate Oats) entering the season with a legit shot to make a run for a bid. NAMES TO KNOW: Best players in SEC for 19-20 season | Pac -12 | Big Ten 2. Maui Invitational (Hawaii), Nov. 25-27 Matchups QF1: Dayton vs. Georgia QF2: Michigan State vs. Virginia Tech QF3: Kansas vs. Chaminade QF4: UCLA vs. BYU 2019 MAUI INVITATIONAL: Bracket, full schedule What to know Michigan State and Kansas should be 1-2 in the majority of preseason polls. The hope is that the two teams meet in the final. Three new coaches will be on display here in Virginia Tech’s Mike Young, UCLA’s Mick Cronin and BYU’s Mark Pope. Dayton is a sleeper in the A-10 and could have a break out tournament in Maui. Georgia’s highly-touted freshman Anthony Edwards will get his chance to shine in the spotlight and set the narrative for his season. 3. Orlando Invitational (Florida), Nov. 28-29, Dec. 1 Matchups QF1: Maryland vs. Temple QF2: Texas A&M vs. Harvard QF3: USC vs. Fairfield QF4: Davidson vs. Marquette What to know Maryland leads a field with possibly six NCAA tournament teams. The Terps have one of the best 1-2 punches in the country in Anthony Cowan Jr. and Jalen Smith. But this is a sneaky difficult quarterfinal matchup against Temple. Still, it’s good for the Terps to be guaranteed a game against a possible NCAA team (new coach Aaron McKie). The potential for a shootout exists in Davidson-Marquette where the Wildcats have the tandem of Kellan Grady and Jon Axel Gudmundsson up against Marquette’s Markus Howard. USC has a heralded freshmen class and this field will test whether or not they are ready for prime time. Harvard has the hype this season with the return of Bryce Aiken, but the Crimson will have to get by Buzz Williams’ new team — Texas A&M. AWARD WATCH LISTS: Karl Malone Award | Julius Erving | Jerry West | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4. Charleston Classic (S.C.) Nov. 21-22 and 24 Matchups QF1: Missouri State vs. Miami QF2: Florida vs. St. Joseph’s QF3: Xavier vs. Towson QF4: Buffalo vs. UConn What to know The dream matchup would be Florida-Xavier since both schools could contend for their respective league titles. The stars on display will be Florida’s Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Xavier’s Naji Marshall. UConn is the sleeper in the American but if the Huskies are going to be a factor then getting at least two wins here would help dramatically. Buffalo and Miami enter this field as unknowns and getting a breakthrough win would do wonders for their profiles. 5. Empire Classic (NYC), Nov. 21-22 Matchups SF1: Texas vs. Georgetown SF2: Duke vs. Cal What to know Duke-Georgetown would matchup Duke’s Tre Jones against a strong backcourt tandem of James Akinjo and Mac McClung. Texas needs a strong start after lacking consistency a season ago. Splitting this tournament would be huge, while winning it would be a spring board for the Longhorns. The rest (No. 6 - No. 13) 6. Myrtle Beach Invitational (Conway, S.C.), Nov. 21-22 and 24 Matchups QF1: Villanova vs. Middle Tennessee QF2: Mississippi State vs. Tulane QF3: Ohio vs. Baylor QF4: Utah vs. Coastal Carolina What to know Nova and Baylor are the two teams to watch here with both having a real shot to win their respective conferences. This could be a tournament where the country gets to know Baylor’s Tristan Clark, a star who had his season cut short last year by injury. Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu, Hawaii), Dec. 22-23 and 25 Matchups QF1: Houston vs. Portland QF2: Georgia Tech vs. Boise St QF3: UTEP vs. Washington QF4: Ball State vs. Hawaii What to know Washington should be the class of this field, but by the time of this tournament, Houston will have figured out its rotation and will be a tough out and a threat to finish near the top of the AAC. MAKING HISTORY: 7 college basketball records (we think) will never be broken 8. Wooden Legacy (Fullerton, Calif.), Nov. 28-29, Dec. 1. Matchups QF1: Providence vs. Long Beach State QF2: Wake Forest vs. Charleston QF3: UCF vs. Penn QF4: Pepperdine vs. Arizona What to know Don’t sleep on the last quarterfinal. Arizona has the hype, but Pepperdine is a WCC sleeper with Waves guard Colbey Ross (19.4 ppg) one of the best players NO ONE discusses. 9. Legends Classic (Brooklyn), Nov. 25-26 Matchups SF1: Wisconsin vs. Richmond SF2: Auburn vs. New Mexico What to know The Badgers lost Ethan Happ but have their perimeter back. Auburn lost the majority of its shooting but has a strong post back. A Badgers-Tigers final is the game we all want to see. AFTER NCAA: 13 former college basketball players to watch in NBA Summer League 10. NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn), Nov. 27 and 29 Matchups SF1: Ole Miss vs. Penn St. SF2: Oklahoma St. vs. Syracuse What to know Syracuse and Penn State have traditionally done well in New York City. But the Nittany Lions are the team that comes into this tournament with higher expectations and need to deliver. GAMES TO WATCH: The compete schedule of the conference games between the Big Ten and the ACC 11. Air Force Reserve Tip-Off (Uncasville, Conn.) Nov. 23-24 Matchups SF1: Virginia vs. UMass SF2: Arizona St. vs. St. John’s What to know The Cavaliers will have some growing pains next season but this could be a massive test. Whoever wins ASU-St. John’s will push Virginia and help the Cavs grow and mature (assuming the Cavaliers beat UMass). 12. MGM Main Event (Las Vegas), Nov. 25 and 27 Matchups SF1: Colorado vs. Wyoming SF2: TCU vs. Clemson What to know The Buffalos are ready to make a move in the Pac-12 and become an NCAA tournament team. To do that, a win against this solid field would be a good start. 13. Hall of Fame Classic (Kansas City), Nov. 25-26 Matchups SF1: Butler vs. Missouri SF2: Oklahoma vs. Stanford What to know Butler’s Kamar Baldwin has had a sensational career with the Bulldogs. 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