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Baylor, Colorado, Kansas State and Texas A&M in Preseason Tournaments
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Big 12 basketball team will be highlighted in four major preseason tournaments this coming season. The pairings for the tournaments were announced today. Baylor, Colorado, Kansas State and Texas A&M have all been invited to early season tournaments of note.
Baylor will take part in the ESPN Old Spice Classic to be held at Disney World in the Milk House. Their opponent for the opening round will be Alabama. The Crimson Tide will be directed by new head coach Anthony Grant. This tournament will give Scott Drew a chance to play three games as part of the classic. For a young Baylor team the competition will provide a chance to learn and grow. It will also give Coach Drew the opportunity to start putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
Over in Hawaii Colorado will face Gonzaga in the first round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. Perennial power Gonzaga will provide a stiff test for the Buffaloes. Coach Jeff Bzdelik can use these games to mold his young squad. It will also give Cory Higgins a national stage outside of the conference to test his mettle.
Kansas State will travel to Puerto Rico for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Coach Frank Martin will take an experienced squad down to the islands and face Boston University in the first round. This is a key tournament for the Wildcats as they will play recognizable competition and will be given an opportunity to gain some quality non-conference wins. Last year the Wildcats fell just short of the NCAA tourney due to a dearth of quality non-conference wins. It will also be an opportunity for Denis Clemente and Luis Colon to play in front of family and friends in their native Puerto Rico.
The fourth Big 12 school to partake in a preseason tourney is Texas A&M. They will face Clemson in the first round of the 76 Classic in Anaheim. The tournament is loaded with six teams that played in the NCAA tournament a year ago. For Coach Mark Turgeon it will give him a chance to see how his young team responds to stiff competition right out the gate.
For tournament pairings see theBig 12 website.
Author side note: Sorry for the limited number of articles over the past couple of weeks. I was finishing a book called "For Tiger Fans Only." It is a collection of stories from rabid MIzzou fans, former players and coaches. Will be out in bookstores November 1.
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