2023 Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational Preview
UTEP to Host Trio of Teams in Tournament
The 2023 Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational doesn’t have any of the marquee college basketball teams. But it does have the makings of a decent mini-tournament. There are two games Wednesday, and the winners will face off in the title game. The two losing teams will play for third place. South Dakota State is probably the best team in the field. They have the highest of the NCAAB rankings by Ken Pomeroy, who has the Jackrabbits at No. 116. UTEP, Wyoming and Norfolk State are the other three teams in the tournament. All games will be played at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.
Wednesday’s Games
South Dakota State (6-5) vs Wyoming (6-4)
This actually isn’t a bad game, as the Cowboys match up reasonably well with South Dakota State. The strength of the Jackrabbits is their 3-point shooting, and that’s where Wyoming is at its strongest defensively. Likewise, the Cowboys are a solid 3-point shooting team themselves, and that’s the weak link for South Dakota State.
Zeke Mayo does everything for the Jackrabbits, leading the team in points, rebounds and assists. It goes without saying, if you can slow him down you have a pretty decent chance of winning the game.
That’s easier said than done, however, and South Dakota State does everything it can to get him the ball. Wyoming can force some turnovers, so he’ll be asked to carry another big load.
The Jackrabbits don’t shoot free throws very well, which will bite them at some point during the season. South Dakota State does shoot a lot of 3-pointers, so it doesn’t get to the foul line too much.
The Cowboys are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. But they don’t shoot enough of them. Leading scorer Sam Griffin is 26 for 53 on 3-pointers, and Kobe Newton is 18 for 29.
With the Jackrabbits holding teams to 44.6% shooting on 3-pointers, the Cowboys need to put up more long-range shots than normal. They can sacrifice a little bit on shooting percentage to get them off.
South Dakota State is going to be favored in this one. If you can get Wyoming +4.5 or more, they’re worth using for one of your NCAAB picks Wednesday.
Norfolk State (8-5) at UTEP (6-5)
The UTEP Miners don’t want to be bounced out of the 2023 Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational in the first round. So they scheduled the weakest team, according to Pomeroy, as its first-round opponent. The Spartans have the most wins of any team in the tournament, but have also played some pretty weak squads. The NCAAB scores show wins over the likes of The Apprentice School, Penn St. Wilkes Barre and Southern Virginia.
Norfolk State is led by Jamarii Thomas, a sweet-shooting guard who can score from the inside or outside. He leads the team in scoring, assists and steals. The Miners are No. 4 in the nation at forcing turnovers, so expect to see Thomas with the ball in his hands frequently.
The Spartans aren’t a great shooting team from the field and will have to crash the boards and get some offensive rebounds and second-chance points to keep it close.
UTEP is not a good offensive team. The Miners don’t shoot well and make too many turnovers. UTEP is one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in college basketball. The Miners do shoot better from 2-point range, which is where Norfolk State’s weak link is on defense. Tae Hardy leads UTEP in scoring, but is just shooting 42.5% from the field.
The Miners have done a decent job of getting to the foul line. But they don’t shoot free throws very well, so UTEP has missed out on some points.
But the Miners are solid on defense, and that will be the key to this game and pretty much all season long. If the Miners play solid defense, they’ll win a few games they probably shouldn’t.
The Miners will be favored here and should have enough offense to advance to the finals of the 2023 Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational. But if the total comes out at 139 or higher, the under could be worth a look.
