CBE Classic 2014: Teams, Schedule, Live Stream, Bracket, TV Info
The beauty of college basketball, where building a resume is more important than an early-season loss or two (as opposed to football), is that fans are treated to a number of marquee nonconference showdowns every single season.
Representatives of the Pac-12, Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 will all be on hand Monday and Tuesday at the 2014 CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri.
For Arizona State, Maryland, Alabama and Iowa State, the two games represent a chance to add substance to what will ideally be NCAA tournament-worthy resumes. Here is a look at the schedule and broadcast information, while a bracket can be found here, courtesy of ESPN.com.
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| Nov. 24 | Arizona State vs. Maryland | 6 p.m. | Sprint Center - KC, MO | ESPNU | Watch ESPN |
| Nov. 24 | Alabama vs. Iowa State | 8:30 p.m. * | Sprint Center - KC, MO | ESPN2 | Watch ESPN |
| Nov. 25 | Consolation Game | 6 p.m. | Sprint Center - KC, MO | ESPN3 | Watch ESPN |
| Nov. 25 | Championship Game | 8:30 p.m. * | Sprint Center - KC, MO | ESPNU | Watch ESPN |
Teams
Arizona State
Arizona State enters the CBE Classic with a perfect 3-0 record, but it has come against lackluster competition to say the least (Chicago State, Bethune-Cookman and Loyola Marymount).
College basketball fans may remember the Sun Devils from last season’s NCAA tournament, but that team lost a number of important contributors and its top three scorers, including star point guard Jahii Carson. The faces are different, but the goal is still to be dancing in March.
The trio of Eric Jacobsen, Shaquielle McKissic and Jonathan Gilling spearhead the attack.
Jacobsen is a double-double threat down low (9.3 points and nine rebounds a game), but his shot-blocking prowess (three a game) is what makes him most valuable. McKissic and Gilling are both deadly three-point shooters who can post double-digit points on any given night if they get hot from the outside.
Maryland
Like its first CBE Classic opponent, Maryland is also a perfect 3-0, its wins coming against Wagner, Central Connecticut State and Fordham. What that means is this is the first opportunity for both the Terrapins and Sun Devils to pick up a marquee victory to bolster those undefeated starts.
Dez Wells may just be the best player at this entire event. The former Xavier Musketeer is averaging 17.7 points a game and drilling 62.5 percent of his shots from the field. He has always been a lethal attacker of the rim off the bounce and on back cuts, but he is lighting it up from three-point range in the early going (71.4 percent).
Josh Stirn of InsideMDSports (h/t Jeff Ermann of 247Sports) attributed Wells’ resurgence from downtown to changes he made during the offseason:
Wells’ partner in crime is Jake Layman, who, like Wells, also has a tendency to throw down vicious dunks in the open floor. Layman is a versatile guard/forward who can hit from three-point range and is long enough to bother opposing ball-handlers on the defensive end and contribute on the glass (5.7 boards a game).
Iowa State
If Wells is the best player at the CBE Classic, Georges Niang is a close second, and Iowa State is the best team. A showdown between the Cyclones and the Wells-Layman combination for Maryland in the finals would be a treat for fans. Iowa State is ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25 as of Sunday and is poised for a deep NCAA tournament run.
The Cyclones have two early wins over Georgia State and Oakland and boast the impressive combination of Niang and Bryce Dejean-Jones.
Niang is a walking double-double and is averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds a game in the early going, while Dejean-Jones is not far behind at 17.5 points and nine rebounds. Dejean-Jones is more of an all-around threat with nightly averages of 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals as well.
Alabama is the first marquee stop on a nonconference schedule for the Cyclones that features Iowa, South Carolina and the winner of the Maryland and Arizona State game. Head coach Fred Hoiberg commented on that slate, via Randy Peterson of The Des Moines Register: "The goal, when you're talking about how good a schedule is, is if you're a bubble team on Selection Sunday, is it good enough to get you into the NCAA Tournament. I think what we're facing is another very good schedule."
Alabama
Alabama may not register the same response on the hardwood as it does on the gridiron, but Levi Randolph will be a problem for the Cyclones.
The all-around superstar leads the Crimson Tide in points (19), rebounds (7.7), assists (three) and minutes (33) per game. As if that’s not enough, the guard is a formidable three-point shooter and is more than willing to get out in transition when the opportunity presents itself.
Randolph led his team to a 3-0 start with wins over Towson, Western Carolina and Southern Miss, but this is his first chance to make himself known to the nation.
It would be easy to assume the Sweet 16 contender from the Big 12 will run away with this game, but Iowa State’s defense is not particularly strong. In Ken Pomeroy’s pace-adjusted rankings, Iowa State’s defense checks in at 61st, while Alabama’s offense is 52nd (as of Sunday).
Granted, that is with a tremendously small sample size, but the Cyclones were 72nd last season.
Alabama may be able to score, but the problem is Iowa State’s firepower between Niang and Dejean-Jones. (The Cyclones are 10th in Pomeroy’s offensive rankings.) It will be a close contest, but the favorite will prevail.
Predicted semifinal winners: Iowa State and Maryland
Predicted tournament winner: Iowa State
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