For the second straight year, the Puerto Rico Tip-Off will not be played on the beautiful island. Last year, it was a Zika virus outbreak that caused the tournament to be moved to Orlando. In 2017, it’s just another one of the things affected by Hurricane Maria and the devastation it brought to the island. Coastal Carolina University will host the tournament instead and that should help local teams like South Carolina and Appalachian State.
These games will take place at Coastal Carolina University’s HP Center in Conway, South Carolina. The Puerto Rico Tip-Off will last from November 16-November 19, with eight schools each playing three games. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
None of the teams taking part in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off are ranked, and that should mean plenty of close games between evenly matched opponents.
South Carolina vs. Illinois State
The first game of the tournament will tip at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday when Illinois State takes on South Carolina. The Gamecocks no longer have Sindarius Thornwell, but still have a solid group from last year’s squad that made a miracle run to the Final Four. South Carolina still has a stifling defense and it shut down Wofford in the opener and Western Michigan on Monday, helping the Gamecocks pick up double-digit victories against both opponents.
Illinois State was a No. 1 seed in the NIT last season, but is not off to a good start this year. The Redbirds became the latest team to fall victim to Dunk City in their season opener over the weekend. Guard Keyshawn Evans was brilliant in the loss though, going 10-17 from the floor with seven assists. He will be the key for the Redbirds if they want to get past South Carolina’s stingy defense.
Boise State vs. UTEP
This will be the first test of the year for both of these teams. UTEP wasn’t tested in a 100-50 victory over Division III Louisiana College in its season opener, starting the game on a 32-0 run. Now, the Miners must avoid what happened following their opener last year. UTEP won just one other non-conference game all season, over Western Michigan, and entered Conference USA play at 2-13.
Boise State crushed NAIA Eastern Oregon in its season opener and followed that up with a convincing win over Southern Utah to start its campaign. The Broncos are hoping to build off of an NIT appearance, but suffered a bit hit in the offseason when Paris Lee transferred to Cal. Alex Hobbs is off to a hot start this season, hitting 18 of his 22 field goals and will try to pace the Broncos in this one.
Iowa State vs. Appalachian State
Iowa State lost virtually all of its talent from last season and is trying to rely on transfers to get the job done. The Cyclones only signed two recruits this last cycle, but brought in three players from other schools. So far the new lineup has not performed well, losing by double digits to both Missouri and Milwaukee in its first two games of the season.
The Mountaineers crushed two small schools in its first two games but will face a challenge when they take on Iowa State. This school beat little Toccoa Falls by more than 100 and handled Bridgewater College easily. Iowa State is a much different sort of challenge though.
Tulsa vs. Western Michigan
The Golden Hurricane suffered a humbling loss at the hands of Lamar in their season opener. Tulsa got crushed on the boards, pulling down just 28 in the game. It fared a little better against Oral Roberts in its second game, but not by much.
Western Michigan already knows it doesn’t stand a chance against one of the teams in this tournament. South Carolina dominated the Broncos on the glass and held them to just 36 percent from the floor on Monday night. The Broncos also lost to Boise State and UTEP in the Charleston Classic last season and this might be a team to fade.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
It’s a bit of a shame that the two strongest teams in the tournament are meeting in the very first game. South Carolina and Illinois State are head and shoulders better than the other teams and the winner should take down the tournament. The best value in the tournament will be when the loser of that game plays its next two games against lesser teams.
College Basketball Odds: Bet on South Carolina throughout the Puerto Rico Tip-Off
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