CBB: U-M, MSU Learn Draws For Island Tournaments

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Photo credit © Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
97.1 The Ticket -- Thanksgiving is still a long ways out, but there's nothing quite like "Feast Week," with countless early-season college basketball tournaments helping fans get into the swing of basketball season.

On Thursday Michigan and Michigan State learned who they will face when they head for tropical destinations in November.

The Spartans, fresh off a trip to the 2019 Final Four, are likely to be the pre-season No. 1 team when the polls come out and they figure to be the highlight of the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational Nov. 25-27.

Michigan State will take on Virginia Tech in the opening game of the tournament on Monday, Nov. 25 at 5 p.m. on ESPN2. This will be the Spartans' fifth appearance in the most prestigious mid-season tournament, having played in 1991, 1995, 2005 and most recently in 2010. The Spartans' only championship in Maui came in 1991.

The winner between the Spartans and Hokies will face the winner of Georgia-Dayton, while the winners of those games will head to the consolation bracket. The other side of the Maui bracket features Kansas vs. host Chaminade (DII) and UCLA vs. BYU.

A championship game against Kansas, who many believe will be a top-5 preseason team, if not challenge the Spartans for No. 1 overall, could be in the cards.

The #MauiBump --is officially a thing, according to @tatefrazier and @clubtrillion at @ringer @oneshiningpodCatch the full breakdown ⬇️-- pic.twitter.com/jLy3rlslET

— Maui Invitational (@MauiInv) July 11, 2019

As the festivities wrap up in Maui for MSU, in-state foe Michigan will be tipping off their tournament, the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, which runs Nov. 27-29.

The Wolverines open the tournament at noon that day against Iowa State on ESPN. Michigan is coming off its third straight trip to the Sweet 16, but is entering a transition era as former Wolverine Fab Five star Juwan Howard takes the reigns as head coach. John Beilein left the program to take the head coaching job with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.

Iowa State went 23-12 last season, earning a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, before being upset by 11th-seeded Ohio State in the first round. 

The Wolverines will face either North Carolina or Alabama in the second game in the Bahamas. The other side of the bracket features Gonzaga vs. Southern Miss and Seton Hall vs. Oregon. Gonzaga and UNC both project as top-10 preseason teams, while Seton Hall looks to be just outside it.

We are headed to Paradise in November! --☀️The Battle 4 Atlantis bracket is out and we will take on Iowa State to start the tournament Nov. 27 in Paradise Island, Bahamas!#GoBlue 〽️-- pic.twitter.com/ZM0fHsn1Xh

— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) July 11, 2019

Michigan released its full non-conference schedule on Wednesday, which opens Nov. 5 against Appalachian State. Highlights of the Wolverines' non-Big Ten slate include a Gavit Tip-Off Games showdown with Creighton, a trip to a resurgent Louisville program for the Big Ten-ACC Challenge in early December and a visit from Oregon.

Michigan State's full non-conference schedule has yet to be released, but the Spartans will begin the season with Kentucky in what appears to be yet another top-5 matchup in the Champions Classic. They're also heading New Jersey to take on Big East challengers Seton Hall for the Gavit Tip-Off Games, and of course one of the biggest highlights of the schedule will be a visit from Duke in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.