Scouting reports
VCU (3-1):
The Rams are coming off of an NCAA Tournament appearance last season after winning the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship and finished the year with a 27-8 record. After losing their first game of the season to McNesse, VCU has won its last three games but has not shown the ability to run away with games.
They are coming off a narrow victory at home over Seattle University, 60-56, their lowest-scoring game of the season thus far. VCU lost a handful of key players from last season’s NCAA Tournament team and has asked role players from that team and new faces from the transfer portal to lead the team.
The Rams have struggled to find a groove offensively and are shooting 28% from three-point land and are averaging 68.3 points per game.
Boise State (2-1):
Following their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and ninth in school history, the Broncos have not been impressive to start the 2023 season. Their two wins came against Vanguard and San Francisco, the latter of which was a five-point win where VCU was outscored in the second half.
The Broncos were tested for the first time this season in their last game when they traveled to Littlejohn Coliseum in a matchup with Clemson. Despite its efforts in the first half, trailing by three going into halftime, Boise State was outscored by 14 in the second half resulting in its first loss of the season.
Boise State retained a pair of double-digit scorers from last year’s team, Chibuzo Agbo and Tyson Degenhart, who each have returned to that figure this season. The Broncos have averaged 73.3 points per game through three contests, which is outside of the top-200 among Division I schools.
Virginia Tech (3-1):
Virginia Tech presents a unique threat, as the Hokies have had a roller coaster start to the season. Virginia Tech is 3-1 on the season, with its lone loss being decided by two points to South Carolina. Despite having three wins, the Hokies put up over 100 points in one, nearly 100 in the recent win over Wofford and only 60 in the win over Campbell.
The varying offensive output has not held the team back, as the defense has stepped up at times. The issue with the offense is the lack of bench presence. Virginia Tech is carried on offense by three players, which has been fine so far through the season, but could present issues with the increased skill level of defenses in the ESPN Events Invitational.
Virginia Tech’s most impactful player has been Lynn Kidd, who averages 17.5 points per game and nearly 10 assists. Kidd also put on a star performance against Campbell, as he finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds, accounting for nearly half the team’s total points.
Virginia Tech also has two other players playing at a high level, with guards Sean Pedulla and Hunter Cattoor averaging over 10 points per game. Both Pedulla and Cattoor have shown up big in each of Virginia Tech’s games, with Pedulla putting up 26 points in the loss to South Carolina and 19 in the most recent game, while Cattoor has averaged 14 points per game in the last three contests.
No. 12 Texas A&M (4-0):
Texas A&M is sitting as the top team going into the tournament. The Aggies are a perfect 4-0 on the season while taking down tough competition like Ohio State and Oral Roberts, while keeping all their opponents under 70 points.
Texas A&M is the highest-ranked team entering the ESPN Events Invitational, sitting at No. 12 in the nation. The Aggies are also tied for the top of the SEC, and have talent across the board.
Henry Coleman III is coming off a dominant week of play, averaging a double-double with points and rebounds, earning himself SEC Player of the Week honors. Coleman is also averaging a double-double on the season, as he consistently gets boards while being one of the Aggies’ top offensive threats.
The other top scorer on the team is Wade Taylor IV, who is the SEC Preseason Player of the Year. Although he does not score much from beyond the arc, he finds his way to the foul line while averaging 17 points per game on the season.
Texas A&M presents size and scoring options while putting pressure on opposing teams. Although the Aggies have possibly the toughest first-round matchup, as they have a rematch with Penn State, who knocked them out in the first round of last season’s NCAA Tournament, they also have the best chance of making a deep run.
No. 19 Florida Atlantic (2-1):
The preseason top-10 Owls have had a bit of a fall from grace following their Final Four appearance back in March.
After taking care of business in its first two matchups against Loyola Chicago and Eastern Michigan, FAU dropped their first game of the season at home to Bryant after being outscored by 12 in the second half.
Regardless of the upset loss on their home court, the Owls are in a spot where they can do some damage control.
The returning duo of 7-foot-1 center Vladislav Goldin and Johnell Davis lead the team in points and rebounds per game, respectively. The Owls have another pair of double-digit scorers in Nicholas Boyd and Brandon Weatherspoon, with Weatherspoon leading the team in three-point percentage (58.3)
Despite having four players averaging double figures in points per game, FAU has averaged 75.7 points per game which is outside the top-175 among Division I programs.
Penn State (4-0):
The Lions have followed up their Round of 32 appearance at last year’s NCAA Tournament with a perfect record through four games and in runaway fashion. Outside of a nine-point win against Lehigh, Penn State has won its other three matchups by at least 23 points and has held opponents to under 55 points.
Part of the reason for the Lions holding their opponents to an average of 53.5 points per game, the fourth fewest in Division I, is their ability to win the turnover battle. They have averaged 8.5 more turnovers a game, which is among the top 10 in Division I and are tied for the 16th most steals per game with 10.8.
Offensively, forward Qudus Wahab is averaging a double-double with 11 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, alongside the backcourt duo of Kanye Clary and Ace Baldwin Jr. who combined average 28.5 points per game.
The only downside for Penn State is they have not shot the ball well behind the arch. As a team, Penn State is averaging 29.6% shooting from deep with 32 makes on 108 attempts.
Butler (3-1):
Butler has had a solid start to the season, only dropping one game to Michigan State, who is ranked in the top 20. The Bulldogs have also put up over 80 in their first three games, while beating their three opponents by nearly 40 in each game.
Although Butler struggled to score 60 against Michigan State on less than 30% shooting from the field, the Bulldogs still found themselves at the line plenty of times. That ability to draw fouls could serve them well in a tournament that has a lot of teams ready to dominate the paint.
Butler has to go through a gauntlet on the other side of the bracket from Iowa State, as its first matchup is against No. 19 Florida Atlantic. If the Bulldogs survive the first round, they have to either take on Penn State or Texas A&M, two teams that are hunting for a finals appearance.
Butler presents a lot of size in the post, with a 7-foot-1 center who averages five rebounds a game off the bench and a 6-foot-10 center who averages 6.5 rebounds a game. The Bulldogs also have solid guard play, as they have four guards averaging over 10 points per game.
Toughest potential matchup
Christian Royston: Texas A&M
Texas A&M presents a tough challenge for Iowa State if the two teams run into each other in the finals. The Aggies present unmatched size while being a physically exhausting team on defense.
The biggest thing that Texas A&M presents that could be a problem for Iowa State is an overwhelming presence in the paint. Although Iowa State has been solid this season in the paint, the Cyclones have not faced a team like Texas A&M yet. The Aggies force opponents to take shots from beyond the arc, which may cause issues for the Cyclones if they are not on their game.
The Aggies also find a lot of their offensive presence from the charity stripe, which makes up for a lack of 3-point scoring. With how young Iowa State is as a team, Texas A&M could take advantage of that and put many Cyclones in foul trouble early on.
If Iowa State does not play efficient ball, it could be a long finals matchup for the Cyclones.
Logan Shanks: Florida Atlantic
Although the Owls lost their most recent game at home to Bryant, we cannot forget this is a team that went to the Final Four last season and has threats that Iowa State has not faced yet.
FAUs’ big man, Goldin, is a threat in the paint that the Cyclones will need to work around if they end up playing them at all in the tournament.
Outside of the Owls’ playmaker on offense, the team has posted a solid defense to start the season. They have averaged 60 points allowed, tied for 24th lowest in the country, and held their opponents to 26% three-point shooting.
If the Cyclones match up with them at all in the tournament, it could be their toughest challenge against a team that focuses on defense just as much as they do.
Potential breakout player
Christian Royston: Curtis Jones
Jones has been consistently improving every single game this season. After a slow start at Hilton, Jones has been averaging over 12 points a game in the last three contests.
Jones also put up 14 points in the last two games, which was the second most in the recent win over Grambling State. Jones has proven to be an efficient guard and dangerous offensive threat off the bench.
Whenever Jones touches the court, he does his best to fill the stat sheet. He picked up four rebounds and five assists in the most recent game, while also securing three steals on defense. Jones has a knack for keeping opposing players on their toes while posing a threat from anywhere on the court.
Jones should again prove he has the tools to be a first-rotation player, while providing a spark off the bench. If Jones gets hot, Iowa State could roll through the ESPN Events Invitational (EEI).
Logan Shanks: Demarion Watson
With the loss of Hason Ward for at least the rest of non-conference play, the Cyclones will need to count on a handful of players to fill in his role.
Against Grambling State, it was true freshman Omaha Biliew. In the EEI, I think Watson has a good chance of becoming more involved with his minutes, specifically on defense. T.J. Otzelberger has praised the 6-foot-7 guard for his versatility on the defensive side noting that his size allows him to square up with anyone on the court.
In Ward’s three games played this season, he averaged four rebounds along with 1.3 blocks and steals per game. I think Watson has the traits to make up for Ward’s defensive presence, further the development of Biliew on both sides of the court and establish himself as a key player off the bench.
