This Legends Classic will take place at the Barclays Center in New York and should feature a few Power Six schools that may be in the middle or near the top of their conferences (with the exception of Notre Dame). However, this tournament will give them an opportunity to separate themselves and build momentum before their one-off games outside of the conference. The four teams participating in this tournament include Auburn, Notre Dame, St. Bonaventure, and Oklahoma State.
Legends Classic
Dates: November 16th and 17th
Location: Barclays Center | Brooklyn, New York
Stream: ESPNU/ESPN 2
Auburn
The Tigers only brought in four recruits, which includes two transfers. However, they are laden with upperclassmen who should give them an advantage throughout the season. KD Johnson, Dylan Cardwell, and Chris Moore should see significant time with tons of transfers also finding their way into the rotation. The loss of Wendell Green Jr. is a big one, but coach Bruce Pearl has found ways to win after losing big time players like Walker Kessler, Jabari Smith, and others. An early test like this will give the Tigers a better idea of what kind of team they could be later in the season.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame brought in six new players, three from transfer and three freshmen. It will be the first year without coach Mike Brey so that could prove to be a struggle for the season. This tournament could either give the team a nice confidence boost or a sneak preview of what’s to come for the season. This team has six underclassmen so experience will not exactly be their strong suit. But they could surprise some people with their top-50 recruiting class.
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys have been pretty solid under coach Mike Boynton and this year should be no exception. This Cowboys team has a ton of upperclassmen and has a top-10 recruiting class (including transfers) coming in to bolster the roster. Moussa Cisse transferred to Ole Miss so a big defensive presence will be gone, but the talent coming in should hopefully make up for that and keep OSU near the top of a much larger Big 12.
St. Bonaventure
St. Bonaventure is always a tough out in the Atlantic 10 and this year should be no different. They are well-coached and usually play above their recruiting rankings. This is the Bonnies’ first appearance in this tournament and will have to try to take down these other three schools who have all played in this (while some have won it) before.
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