Thanksgiving weekend is a big weekend for a lot of different places. Many stores have Black Friday sales, the National Football League hosts games throughout the whole weekend and college basketball heads down to the Bahamas to play a few big-name tournaments. While the one tournament that everyone will be watching is the Baha Mar Championship, starring Baylor, Tennessee, Virginia and St. John’s, there’s another men’s tournament that will happen this weekend every fan of mid-major basketball should check out.
The Baha Mar Nassau Championship was founded in 2017 and consists of all mid-major teams. The event used to be a bracketed event, but in 2023, the event became a bracketless event, acting more like an invitational you see in volleyball rather than a traditional basketball tournament. The 2024 edition sees six teams from all across the country compete in this invitational-styled tournament.
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Coming into the invitational with a 4-1 record, Arkansas State is currently the best team in the Sun Belt Conference. The team has also received accolades from the website, being ranked 16th in the most recent Mid-Major Basketball Top 25 poll.
Throughout their five games this season, the Red Wolves have been defined by their 3-point shooting. Slightly over half of their shot attempts come from beyond the arc, and with them shooting about 31% from the field, it’s been a successful part of their offense. The team has been out-rebounding their opponents, too, but only by about a rebound.
The only problem with Arkansas State so far has been turnovers. They’ve had more than 10 turnovers in every game except for the 80-63 win against Little Rock. They’ve also had their turnovers and assists be at an equal amount or more turnovers than assists in all games except the games against Little Rock and a 103-60 win against Lane College.
Despite this potentially hazardous problem, the Red Wolves look to continue their winning ways against Indiana State on Friday, Rice on Saturday, and Hofstra on Sunday.
Hofstra Pride
With a 4-2 record, the Pride come into the tournament on a two-game losing streak, losing against Houston and Florida State. Despite those two losses, the team has been one of the better-performing mid-major squads this season.
Led by sophomore guard Jean Aranguren, the Pride have gotten key wins this year against Seton Hall and the Iona Gaels, who also compete in this invitational. While most of Hofstra’s scoring has come from inside the arc, the team is best at making free throws. Among all 355 teams in Division I basketball, the Pride are 67th, putting them among the best in the nation.
Hofstra’s Baha Mar Nassau Championship schedule sees them take on Rice on Friday, Tarleton State on Saturday and Arkansas State on Sunday.
Indiana State Sycamores
Indiana State is on a downswing from last season. After losing their whole roster from the 2023-24 season, the Sycamores had to rebuild their roster from scratch. Despite getting players like Samage Teel, the loss of players like Robbie Avilia and Ryan Conwell have impacted the roster.
The team has started 3-3 this season, but there are some bright spots within this middling start. The Sycamores are out-rebounding their opponents by almost six rebounds a game and getting more steals than their opponents. Indiana State is also good at moving the ball, getting about four more assists a game than their opponents. The team has also been great at shooting the ball, shooting better than their opponents in all their games.
The games against Arkansas State, Iona, and Tarleton State can see the Sycamores get back on track after the less-than-stellar start to the season.
Iona Gaels
The Gaels have been a big letdown after being predicted to finish third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference during the preseason.
Starting this season with a 1-6 record, the team has just been off. Their opponents have outshot them, out-assisted and outplayed them in almost all their games this season. Even their one win this season was a comeback win against a lackluster Vermont squad.
That’s not to say that the team hasn’t shown promise this season. DeJour Reaves and Adam Njie Jr. have lived up to expectations and have been a bright spot in an underwhelming season for the Gaels.
If the team can find their groove, they can easily right the ship this season. The squad hopes the games against Tarleton State, Indiana State and Rice will be the turning point for the team this season.
Rice Owls
Currently holding a 5-1 record, the Rice Owls sit fourth in the American Athletic Conference. The team’s only loss this season has come to Florida State, but even that loss was relatively close.
Rice has just been an all-around great team. They have consistently outplayed their opponents, shooting better, rebounding better and getting more blocks and assists than their competition. Their only problem has been the abundance of turnovers, but that seems just to be a common problem with teams in this tournament.
The Owls have had a star player this season in graduate guard Trae Broadnax, averaging 13.8 points, about six rebounds and about four assists per game for Rice. Broadnax has also been named the AAC Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 18-25.
Rice looks to continue its dominant ways against games against Hofstra, Arkansas State and Iona.
Tarleton State Texans
Coming into the Nassau Championship with a 1-5 record, the Texans have regressed from last season’s 3-1 start before the SoCal Challenge. A lot of this has to do with their increased strength of schedule, facing more Power Five opponents than they had in the past.
Despite their strong opponents, the team has kept up average shooting splits, shooting 42.1% from the field, 36.5% from 3 and 70.4% from the free-throw line. The team, otherwise, has been outplayed by their much more well-known opponents.
However, the team has had a star emerge from these losses in sophomore Bubu Benjamin. In six games, Benjamin has averaged 15 points, about five assists, about two assists and one steal a game against high-level opponents.
Tarleton State looks to get its season back on track when it plays Hofstra, Arkansas State and Iona over the three days of the Baha Mar Nassau Championship.
