Feast week continues in Kansas City, where an under-the-radar MTE brings Thanksgiving basketball to the masses at the Hall of Fame Classic.
Teams
- Boston College (4-0)
- Colorado State (4-0)
- Creighton (4-0)
- Loyola-Chicago (2-2)
Tournament Schedule
First round (Wednesday, Nov. 22)
- Boston College vs. Colorado State – 1:30 p.m. (CBS Sports)
- Creighton vs. Loyola-Chicago – 4 p.m. (CBS Sports)
Third Place (Thursday, Nov. 23)
- 12:30 p.m. (CBS Sports)
Championship (Thursday, Nov. 23)
- 3 p.m. (CBS Sports)
Team Breakdown
Boston College
In Earl Grant’s first two years, the Eagles haven’t had sustained success, but have visibly improved across the board with pockets of very strong games, with three ranked wins last year against Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Virginia. This year, the Eagles have started 4-0 with victories over Harvard, Richmond, Fairfield, and The Citadel. Big man Quinten Post is performing at an all-ACC level, averaging 19.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG with 3 double-doubles in 4 games, including a 20-point, 19-rebound performance in the win over Harvard. Guard duo Jaeden Zackery and Claudell Harris are also making an impact on offense, combining to average 26.3 PPG and 5.8 APG between the two.
Interior defense has been a strength for the Eagles, who are 25th in the country with 5.8 BPG. Most of those come from the aforementioned Post (name checks out) and sophomore forward Devin McGlockton. The swats aren’t a result of unchecked intensity, however, as Boston College has been highly disciplined to start the year. They’re 27th nationally with just 13.8 fouls per game, bad news for opponents hoping to get to the line. Areas of concern, however, begin on the defensive end, where the Eagles are giving up threes at a 35.5% clip, a number a team like Creighton dreams about playing against. The Eagles do defend much better inside the arc, however. Overall, this team likely is better than the metrics (104th in the latest KenPom ratings) suggest, but they’re not at the level of ACC favorites like Miami and Duke. Can the Eagles win this 4-team event? Absolutely. Is it likely? No.
Creighton
Creighton made a run to the Elite Eight last March, and was just a few minutes of quality basketball away from a Final Four. While they finished cold, they’ve started red-hot to begin the 2023-24 season. The Bluejays are 4-0 with an average scoring margin of 92.0-62.0, and the duo of Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman is highly responsible for that. Alexander, a 6’4 guard in his 3rd year with the program, is averaging 21.0 PPG and 6.5 APG, while Scheierman, another lengthy guard at 6’6, is averaging 18.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG in his second year with the team after transferring in from South Dakota State prior to last year. Senior big man Ryan Kalkbrenner has also been impactful, averaging 12.3 PPG and 2.3 BPG down low, and 5 different players are averaging between 6.8-8.0 PPG.
The Bluejays do a great deal of damage from the perimeter. They rank 1st nationally in three-pointers made per game this season with 13.5, while converting at 40%, a top-30 rate in the nation. They also lead D-1 in 2PT% with 70.3%, but they shoot more shots from behind the arc than inside it, making them 1 of just 11 teams that do so. Even with the lack of attempts inside the arc, it’s still refreshing to be able to make them at an elite rate when they have to. The starting lineup consists of 4 seniors, the aforementioned trio of Alexander, Scheierman, Kalkbrenner, and guard Steven Ashworth, along with sophomore forward Mason Miller. Internationals Francisco Farabello (Cañada de Gómez, Argentina) and Fredrick King (Mangrove Cay, Bahamas) make an impact off the bench, as does freshman big man Isaac Traudt.
Colorado State
Niko Medved’s Rams had a bit of a lost season last year, dealing with a spell of injuries in Fort Collins. It would be unwise, however, to bet against the Rams. Though it’s been just 4 games into the season and small sample sizes often lead to pundit overreactions, this offense is certifiably the real deal. Led by a group of dangerous upperclassmen, Colorado State might be the class of the Mountain West this year. Efficient shooting is the ticket to March success, among other things, and it’ll certainly help the Rams’ fortunes in Kansas City. Colorado State is shooting 55.2% from the field, 5th nationally, while converting from deep at a 40.9% rate, good for 17th nationally.
The schedule so far hasn’t been particularly difficult so far, with wins over Northern Colorado, Wright State, Louisiana Tech, and Kansas City, but a team can only play the teams on your schedule, and they’ve taken care of business. The all-senior starting lineup of Isaiah Stevens, Josiah Strong, Nique Clifford, Joel Scott, and Patrick Cartier has the chemistry and talent to win the Hall of Fame Classic, or give opposing defenses migraines at the very least. Scott, Stevens, Clifford, and Cartier are all averaging between 13.3-16.8 PPG, and they’re all shooting over 50% from the field. Having to defend one or two of that quartet is trouble enough, but all four? It’s an extremely difficult task, even to an experienced defense.
One interesting stat: the Rams virtually refuse to rebound on the offensive glass. In addition to ranking dead last in the country in offensive rebounds per game with 3.25 per game, Colorado State didn’t record a single offensive rebound against Louisiana Tech. Not only do 361 D-1 teams average more offensive rebounds per game, but 352 of those teams average *more than double* the amount of offensive rebounds per game. It hasn’t really impacted the team’s results so far, and the number is surely impacted by the Rams making 55.2% of their shots, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on. Only 1 team out of 363 D-1 programs averaged less than 6.0 ORPG last year. Any guesses on who it was? Colorado State.
Loyola Chicago
The Ramblers are still adjusting to the Atlantic-10, having made the jump up from the MVC last year and finishing the year at 10-21. Though they lost Marquise Kennedy and Bryce Golden, the Rambles no doubt improved over the offseason. Transfers Desmond Watson (Davidson), Greg Dolan (Cornell), and Dame Adelekun (Dartmouth) have all made sizable impacts in the first two weeks of games, as have returnees Braden Norris and forward Philip Alston. It’s been a mixed bag through four games, with wins over Eastern Illinois and a sneaky good New Orleans squad and losses to FAU and hometown rival Illinois-Chicago.
Loyola Chicago is the only non-undefeated team in the field, going into the MTE, at least. They’ll have two chances to knock off two previously undefeated teams in Kansas City, but they’ll have to bring their A-game if they want to do so. That starts with the starting five of Watson, Dolan, Norris, Alston, and Adelekun. (Miles Rubin started the first three games at center but came off the bench in favor of Adelekun against New Orleans.) The Ramblers have been great on the defensive glass and blocking shots in the interior. They’ll need to play to those strengths in order to have a chance at knocking off top-tier competition.
Hall of Fame Classic Predictions
First round: Colorado State vs. Boston College
This matchup very well may be won and lost on the perimeter, even though the best player on the court will reside in the Post. (Literally.) Colorado State’s offense is ranked over 100 spots higher than Boston College’s defense in the latest KenPom rankings, and the Eagles have had trouble guarding shots from deep, which is where the Rams thrive.
Isaiah Stevens and Nique Clifford (who’s shooting 69.2% from deep this year) will likely be the difference-makers in this matchup, even if Quinten Post records another high-efficiency, high-volume night down low. The gap between these two teams isn’t as large as the metrics suggest, but Colorado State’s strengths play right into the weaknesses of Boston College. The Rams should win this one.
Colorado State wins
First round: Creighton vs. Loyola Chicago
The pregame spread is sitting at -18.5 in favor of Creighton, which probably says more about the Bluejays than the Ramblers. The Big East is loaded again, and Creighton is 1 of 3 teams with a legitimate argument of being the class of the league. Do the Ramblers have anyone to stop the duo of Alexander and Scheierman? And if they manage that, who’s on Kalkbrenner? The Bluejays make the most threes in the nation, and Loyola is giving up 37.5% from deep, 41st-worst in the D-1 ranks. In addition to a sizable talent gap, Creighton also has, while not a true home game, likely more fans showing up to Kansas City than the Ramblers do.
The Bluejays not only win this game, but they should cover the spread as well. Loyola Chicago is simply a victim of bad luck, having to play a top-10 team in a 4-team MTE. Creighton’s offense will be in top gear, and Loyola doesn’t have the firepower to stay with them blow-for-blow, though the addition of Desmond Watson has provided quite a boost this season.
Creighton wins
Third place: Boston College vs. Loyola Chicago
This should be a really even matchup if it ultimately comes to fruition. Both teams have a very talented frontcourt, and they’re mostly evenly matched across the board. The individual matchups of Quinten Post vs. Miles Rubin/Dame Adelekun and Claudell Harris vs. Desmond Watson are sure to be entertaining, and it will be a great game. (That is, of course, contingent on the two teams meeting on Thursday.) Loyola Chicago gets a bulk of their scoring from guards Watson and Dolan and forward Philip Alston. The ability to score outside of the paint is huge for Loyola in this matchup, since Boston College has shown an ability to defend inside with Post and McGlockton. The Eagles, on the other hand, shoot a lot more 2s than 3s, even though efficiency-wise, they’re much more efficient from outside the arc.
Will that offensive scheme change at all this year? It might, but the Eagles are struggling in that aspect early in the season, even with the undefeated record. This is bound to be a close game, but the Ramblers and Sister Jean (yes, she’s still with us) have the slight advantage in this matchup, and they’ll go home .500 again.
Loyola Chicago wins
Championship: Colorado State vs. Creighton
Creighton is the most talented team in the field, but this Colorado State squad could cause some havoc against the Bluejays. Iowa, another offense-oriented team, kept it close with the Bluejays, and the Rams have the potential to do the same. Where Colorado State’s weaknesses lie, however, is on the defensive end. The Rams’ interior defense isn’t great, as they’re giving up 49.7% to opponents inside the arc, a mark good for 229th nationally. That could lead to Ryan Kalkbrenner having a day in the Hall of Fame Classic championship.
Though Joel Scott, Isaiah Stevens, Nique Clifford, and Patrick Cartier are sure to score points, it’s fair to question if they can do so at the rate of Creighton. The Bluejays just beat what was essentially a more efficient version of Colorado State when they took down Iowa, all while scoring 92 points. The Bluejays are near the top of a very good conference, and they won’t be undefeated forever. But it’s a good bet that they’ll at least make it out of Kansas City with that record intact.
Creighton wins