REVIEWS CONTINUE FOR MBI PARTICIPANTS
Preseason reviews continue and here is a look at eight schools competing in the 2022 Myrtle Beach Invitational to be played November 17, 18 and 20 at the HTC Center on the campus of Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S. C.
All-session tickets are available and range from $130 to $145. Single-session tickets will go on sale on November 14. UMass meets Colorado in the first game on November 17 at 1:30 p.m. (ET). Murray State challenges Texas A&M in the first session finale. The evening schedule begins at 7 p.m. with Boise State facing Charlotte and Loyola Chicago playing Tulsa.
The Myrtle Beach Invitation semi-finals will be played on November 18 with the placements games on November 20 highlighted by the championship contest at 1 p.m. (ET).
BOISE STATE – The Broncos are picked to finish third in the Mountain West as Coach Leon Rice enters his 13th season at the program’s helm with a 244-145 record. Rice has led the Broncos to eight postseason appearances, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament. Boise State’s top returnees are senior guard Marcus Shaver Jr., and sophomore forward Tyson Degenhart. Both players earned All-Mountain West recognition last season with Shaver named to the conference’s second team and Degenhart named as the league’s top freshman. VIDEO
CHARLOTTE – The 49ers are picked to place ninth in Conference USA as Charlotte enters year five of the Ron Sanchez era featuring an almost entirely new roster from last season’s 17-win squad. Top newcomers are transfers Josh Aldrich, Tre’ Gipson, Igor Milicic Jr. and Lu’Cye Patterson and freshmen in Nik Graves and Rich Rolf. VIDEO
COLORADO – Junior forward Tristan da Silva and sophomore guard KJ Simpson were preseason All-Pac-12 Conference picks for the Buffs. da Silva is Colorado’s leading returning scorer from a year ago (9.4 points a game) with Simpson being named to the Pac-12 all-freshman squad. The Buffaloes, coming off their fourth-straight 20-win season, were picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12 preseason media poll. VIDEO
LOYOLA CHICAGO – As Atlantic 10 newcomers, the Ramblers were picked fourth in the pre-season pool with senior guard Braden Norris being recognized as one of the top players in the league. Norris enters the season as the nation’s career active three-point field goal percentage leader at 44.2 percent (190-for-430).
MURRAY STATE – Junior guard Rob Perry was among the 16-player Missouri Valley Conference All-Preseason Team as the Racers begin their first season in the league. Perry scored over 1,100 points in three seasons at Stetson before enrolling at Murray State. With Steve Prohm returning as coach, the Racers are picked to finish eighth in the MVC. VIDEO
TEXAS A&M – The surprise SEC team at the end of last season, the Aggies start this year listed sixth in the league’s preseason poll. Junior forward Henry Coleman III and Tyrece ‘Boots’ Radford, Coleman ranked second on the team in scoring (11.0 points per game) and tied Radford as the Aggies’ top rebounders (6.2 rebounds per game). Radford averaged 10.9 points per contest and started all 40 games for A&M last season. VIDEO
TULSA – With new coach Eric Konkol at the helm, the Golden Hurricane was picked 10th in the American’s preseason poll. Junior Sam Griffin and newcomer Brandon Betson represented Tulsa at the league’s media day. Griffin was second on the team in scoring a season ago (14.6 points per game) and Betson is a transfer from Chicago State where he averaged 14.2 points and 2.8 assists to lead the team and earn all-WAC selection. VIDEO
UMASS – Senior guard Noah Fernandes was named one of the Atlantic 10’s top players as he averaged a team-leading 14.9 points and 5.3 assists per game a season ago. As a team with Frank Martin entering his first season, the Minutemen were picked eighth in the preseason poll.
