When it comes to the non-conference schedule, the drama and buzz aren’t always present, but tournaments early in the season can create some excitement.  David Fox, college basketball staff writer for Rivals, listed and analyzed the important November/December tourneys for the upcoming hoops season.  The O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, which will be played November 19th, 20th, and 22nd, was featured on Fox’s list.  With Georgia Tech, Dayton, Boston University, George Mason, Mississippi, Indiana, Kansas State, and Villanova representing the 8 participants, the matchup Fox wants to see in this bracket is Georgia Tech and Villanova in the 2nd round.  Fox’s analysis of the tip-off is as follows:

The early rounds are loaded with juicy matchups.  A first-round game matches Dayton, the A-10 favorite, and Georgia Tech, a potential top-25 team.  The Yellow Jackets won only two ACC games last season, but should be a league contender with center Derrick Favors, the No. 3 prospect in the 2009 class, joining forward Gani Lawal and guard Iman Shumpert.

The Flyers have a star of their own in 6-8 junior Chris Wright. A strong defensive team, Dayton is poised for a breakout season. … A Final Four team a year ago, Villanova could draw either of those teams in the second round.  Whether the Wildcats face Georgia Tech or Dayton, their frontcourt will need to answer for the loss of leading scorer Dante Cunningham.

Like Villanova, Ole Miss is a backcourt-heavy team when a healthy Chris Warren teams with Terrico White. … Indiana will have a chance to show how well Tom Crean’s rebuilding project is going.  Ole Miss should contend in the SEC West, but the Rebels are hardly an NCAA tournament lock.

We’ll see if Georgetown transfer Jeremiah Rivers and a standout signing class led by forward Christian Watford can compete with Ole Miss. … Thanks to the guard tandem of Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen, Kansas State could be a sleeper in this field.  The Wildcats didn’t play an NCAA tournament team in their non-conference schedule last season.  That could change if K-State wins a game or two in this tourney.

While Georgia Tech has had a rough go of it in recent years, look for them to be better this year with the addition of the highly touted Derrick Favors.  Winning this tournament could prove to be huge down the stretch for the Wildcats.

Lots of good tourneys leading up to conference play.  Which ones intrigue you the most?

Is it really that easy to get suspended these days or maybe it’s just too hard to follow rules?  Who knows, but today, Pittsburgh suspended redshirt junior Gilbert Brown for the fall semester due to academic problems.  So let’s see, that’s Joe Mazzulla (WVU), Darryl “Truck” Bryant (WVU), Reggie Redding, and now Brown to add on to the list of Big East players being suspended at one point or another.  Most of these players are upperclassmen as well, but evidently, they don’t get it.  In fact, Brown was honored after the season with one of the Pitt team awards.  No, this is not a joke, but he actually received the “Academic Excellence Award” after last season.  Academic excellence leads to suspension for academic reasons.  Interesting.

Overshadowed by DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, and Levance Fields last year, Brown was expected to step up and be a key cog for the inexperienced Panthers this year.  Pitt’s nonconference schedule is not incredibly difficult, but is certainly no cakewalk.  They play Iowa in late November, Wichita State and/or Texas in late November, and Indiana in early December.  Brown will be eligible for reinstatement on December 20th, just before Big East play begins.

Added by Chris:

…You may also know this man as the guy that Scottie elevated over for the game winning shot in Boston last year…for more on the suspension, check out Pitt Blather’s reaction…

A couple of interesting items to point out from the last week or so. First, the Nova Notebook, written by Villanova’s director of media relations Mike Sheridan, has returned with a piece on Dante Cunningham. The entry discusses Cunningham’s excitement in working out for NBA scouts, but also his continuing role in helping out the younger Villanova basketball players.

Next, the field for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Tipoff, a tournament to be held in Puerto Rico next season, has been announced.  The tipoff takes place Novemeber 19th-November 22nd, and the 8 teams in this mini-tournament include Boston University, Dayton, George Mason, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas State, Ole Miss and Villanova.

Lastly, with the departure of Patrick Chambers to Boston University, there is a coaching vacancy on the Villanova staff.  It looks like University of New Mexico assistant coach Chris Walker, a former basketball player at Nova, is a leading candidate. He interviewed for the position this past Monday, but declined to comment if he is actually considering the opening.

These mini-tournaments early in the year have become a staple on Villanova’s schedule.  While the teams in the field may not seem all that impressive, these games are very important, as you never know which team will end up having a great year.  Nonconference wins, such as these, provide big opportunities early in the season to build the foundation for your NCAA tournament resume.

Also, if you notice, Boston U. is in this field.  Wouldn’t it be interesting to see Chambers vs. Villanova?  In terms of the coaching vacancy, I don’t know much about Chris Walker, but from what I read in the posted article, it sounds like he is a great recruiter, which can never hurt.  I know Jay will pick a solid guy to fill the Chambers vacancy.