Now in its 56th year, the WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational is the oldest collegiate holiday basketball tournament in the country. Our sports staff breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of the three visiting teams in this year’s field and how each team will fare and matchup with one another (including UTEP):

University of North Carolina Wilmington

The University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks from the Colonial Athletic Conference will kick off the doubleheader of the WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational on Thursday when they face North Dakota State at 5 p.m.

UNC Wilmington (2-7) will be making its debut in the Sun Bowl Invitational.

The Seahawks are coached by C.B. McGrath, he is part of the North Carolina Tarheel’s head coach Roy Williams’ coaching tree. This is McGrath’s first tenure as head coach, having previously served as assistant coach and Director of Men’s Basketball Operations for North Carolina. The Seahawks named him head coach on April 1, 2017.

The Seahawks started the season in good form, winning their first game by 24 points over NC Wesleyan. Since then, the Seahawks are one and seven and are currently riding a six-game losing streak.

However, UNC Wilmington is not a team to take lightly. This team has played close contests against LSU (97-84) and East Carolina (93-88), proving that they can score the ball.

As a team, the Seahawks are averaging 81.8 points per game, which ranks them within the top 100 of scoring (No. 57) and are tied for No. 28 in the nation in rebounds per game (40.9).

The Seahawks also like to share the ball. They are tied for No. 36 in the nation, averaging 17 assists a game – a good reason why they have four players averaging double figures.

UNCW is led by their junior stat filler Devontae Cacok – a double-double machine with seven already in the season. Averaging 19.1 points per game ranks Cacok No. 72 in the nation amongst leading scorers, as well as being tied for third in rebounding (18.6 RPG) and fourth in offensive rebounding (4.6 ORPG). Last season Cacok broke the NCAA record for field goal percentage as a sophomore, setting the record at 80 percent from the field.

Why UNCW could win the tournament

The six-foot-seven forward Cacok is the Seahawks’ x-factor as he is one of the leaders in the nation in filling up the stat sheet. Last year’s CAA defensive player of the year will look to help make teams pay with his size and length.

The double-double machine has all the tools and potential to dominate this tournament. His length should be a problem for the guards of North Dakota State. The reason why he will be a problem for NDSU is that they’re two leading rebounders are their point guards, Paul Miller who hauls in a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game and Tyson Ward who is second on the team, averaging 5.4 rebounds per game.
If Cacok alone does not dominate the glass, six-foot-seven senior forward Marcus Bryan could carry the load as he is averaging 7.4 rebounds per game.

UNC Wilmington utilizes their length to their advantage, having only one person below six-foot and a junior center, Trey Kalina, that is seven-feet tall.

Fans should also keep their eye on guard Jordon Talley for UNCW. Talley currently ranks 19th in the nation in assists per game (6.6). The Miners alone as a team average just 10.8 assists per game, which puts them at 333rd in the nation. In UTEP’s win against Incarnate Word on Tuesday night, the Miners recorded just five assists.

The Seahawks currently have four players that average double figures. Aside from Cacok and Talley, sophomores’ Ty Taylor II (13.1) and Jaylen Fornes (11) are also helping balance out their team’s efficient scoring efforts.

Why UNCW could regret coming to El Paso

UNC Wilmington is a tall lengthy team, but what has attributed to their six-game losing streak is the fact that they allow opponents to score. Currently, the Seahawks allow 89.4 points per game. Their first game could see them in the consolation round as NDSU is hitting from behind the arc at 37 percent for the season, the highest percentage of the four teams in the tournament.

The defense will be the problem for the Seahawks, other than Cacok, as no other member of the squad averages more than one steal a game. Cacok is the only player who averages a steal per game. As a team, they average five steals a game and two blocks per game and average 15 turnovers per game.

It will be interesting if UNC Wilmington can pass the Bison because if they play UTEP in the championship game UTEP allows the fewest points per team competing in the tournament (69.3 ppg).

Conclusion

UNCW is going to go as far as Cacok takes them. If Cacok has a stellar game and helps upset NDSU in the first game, expect him to leave El Paso as the MVP of the tournament.

UTEP should get past Howard, and if they are able to meet the Seahawks, the size of the Miners will be the story. Since the Miners have been plagued with injuries and other problems, their lone big man Matt Willms will be sidelined for two-three weeks. They willhave to rely on the combination of senior guard Omega Harris and graduate guard Keith Frazier to get them to the championship game.

If UNC Wilmington pulls off the upset in the first round, I see them using this tournament to get back on track and gather momentum towards conference play. Cacok is going to be a problem for anybody on the court. He already has a season high of 35 points against ECU back on Nov. 30, so it won’t be a shocker if he decides to light up the Don Haskins Center both Thursday and Friday.

North Dakota State University

The North Dakota State Bison will be making its second appearance at the Sun Bowl Invitational.

In 2014, NDSU lost a heartbreaker to Kent State, 53-52, which forced them to the consolation round, where the Bison took out Alcorn State, 61-50. The two lone seniors on NDSU’s roster, Paul Miller and A.J. Jacobson, are the only student-athletes that were on that 2014 team.

This season, NDSU has opened up the year 5-6, but are the most battle-tested team in the whole tournament; the Bison are the only program out of the field to battle against multiple ranked teams— road losses to then No. 10 ranked USC, 75-65 and No. 18 Arizona, 83-53.

Victories against Missouri State (10-3), against rival North Dakota (7-7) and the demolishing of Valley City State, 101-58, are the Bison’s most impressive showings so far, this season.

Since NDSU only has one starter over 6-foot-6, the Bison lean on the play of their guards to succeed. The only two double-digit scorers on NDSU’s roster are their two starting guards.

The Bison live and die by their all-Summit first-teamer Paul Miller, who does it all for NDSU. The 6-foot-6 guard leads NDSU in all major categories. He leads the team with 15.6 points per game, hauls in a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game, has the most total assists (44) and has knocked down the most three-pointers.

Sophomore guard Tyson Ward is the other player who makes up the duo at the guard positions. Ward puts up 10.5 points per game, is second on the team with 5.4 rebounds per game and has led his team in scoring on multiple nights.

But, NDSU’s preseason second-teamer A.J. Jacobson is due some big nights from time to time. He averages 8.5 points per game and has connected on the second most 3-pointers on the team (19-35 from the 3-point line).

NDSU is projected to finish 3rd in the Summit League—a league the Bison have dominated the past eight seasons.

Why NDSU could win the tournament

NDSU is the most battle-tested and experienced team in this year’s field. Out of Howard, North Carolina-Wilmington and UTEP, NDSU is the only program from the field to be a participant in college basketball’s biggest stage—the NCAA Tournament—in the previous seven seasons.

Throughout the last eight years, NDSU has made it to the NCAA Tournament three times.

NDSU was competitive against a talented USC team that was a top 10 team in the nation at the time, only losing by ten points. And that was with NDSU’s leading scorer Miller only scoring seven points (season-low).

In other words, the three other programs competing for the tournament championship have not experienced the big games that the Bison have, nor do they compare to what NDSU has seen before.

Also, the Bison have the great equalizer on their side—the ability to shoot the three-point ball most efficiently out of all four teams in the invitational. In an era where shooting is most important, the three-pointer is the most valuable shot in basketball.

NDSU is the only school in the tournament to make 100 or more three-pointers on the season, and they have the highest percentage from beyond the arc (37 percent). The next closest percentage comes from UNCW, who shoots the three-pointer at 35 percent, but they have only made 70 long-range shots this year.

In total, the Bison make over nine three-pointers per game on average.

On the defensive side, NDSU also defends the three-pointer better than HU, UNCW and UTEP. The Bison have locked down their opponents to only making 63 three-pointers this year on a dismal 31 percent from behind the arc.

For instance, Howard only allows opposing teams to shoot 35 percent but they’ve allowed nearly 40 more 3-pointers made than NDSU has.

Another advantage NDSU has over the field is their head coach David Richman.

Richman has been a head coach longer than UTEP’s interim head coach Phil Johnson and longer than UNCW’s head coach C.B. McGrath – who are both in their first seasons as head coaches with their teams.

Richman hasn’t been NDSU’s head coach as long as Kevin Nickelberry has been Howard’s head coach, but Nickelberry has never had a winning record since he acquired the job in 2010. Nickelberry’s overall record at Howard is 71-165 (.301).

Since Richman took over for NDSU in the 2014-15 season, the Bison have picked up 43 wins in their conference in four seasons (the most in the Summit during that time span) and Richman has led NDSU to at least 19 wins in each of his first three seasons.

In Richman’s first year with NDSU, he was the first rookie head coach to win the league’s Coach of the Year award since the 1983-84 season.

Overall, Richman has the highest winning percentage as a head coach from the group of four, with his record of 67-40 (63 percent winning percentage) and he is the only one to win a game in the NCAA tournament.

Why NDSU could regret coming to El Paso

NDSU is a smaller team that plays at a slower pace than the rest of the field. Out of all the teams, NDSU has averaged the least amount of possessions in games, with only 69 possessions per game. This means that the Bison have to take care of the ball more and force turnovers to receive more possessions for more offense. But, NDSU coughs up the ball nearly 14 times per game, and they only force 10 turnovers per game.

The Miners average around 74 possessions per game, giving them the possibility to put up more points even on a cold night.

Since NDSU is smaller and their playmakers are their guards, the Bison only shoot 14.2 free throws per game (ninth lowest in the nation). That is a lot of wasted free points left on the court.

Also, if Miller doesn’t put up his usual scoring or if an opposing team takes him away, NDSU does not have another reliable option on a consistent basis. If a team challenges NDSU to beat them by taking away Miller, the Bison could run into some trouble.

Another downfall for NDSU that could be exposed is their rebounding as a team. Their two leading rebounders come from their starting guard positions, which isn’t ideal, especially when NDSU’s starting center, Spencer Eliason only pulls down 3.3 rebounds per game.

Conclusion

NDSU and UTEP should be a shoe-in for the matchup in the championship game at the Don Haskins Center on Friday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m.

NDSU is set to face a 2-7 UNCW team in the first round on Thursday at 5 p.m. for the first game of the tournament, while UTEP should get passed Howard (2-11) easily in the second game of the double header that day.

While NDSU is the best road team in the tournament so far this season at 2-5 away from home, UTEP has the benefit of being home during this tournament. At home, the Miners are notorious for defending their home court. This season, UTEP is already 4-2 and riding the longest winning streak of all the teams (three consecutive wins).

Although UTEP is short-handed due to injuries and other problems, the Miners still have enough fire power to overcome the duo NDSU puts out on the court. That fire power UTEP possesses comes from senior Omega Harris, senior Keith Frazier and junior Paul Thomas.

In a game where both teams should be gassed by the second half of play due to traveling for NDSU – and UTEP’s difficult three games in four nights, the better defensive team in the second half should win the championship. In the second half this season, UTEP has only allowed 342 total points to their opponents, while NDSU has allowed 418 closing period points.

UTEP has seven players that average more than six points per game, compared to NDSU that has five players that average that.

Pound-for-pound, I believe that UTEP has the most talented roster from the field and UTEP also allows the fewest points.

Howard University

Wins have been very hard to come by in 2017 for UTEP’s first round opponent in the WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational, the Howard University Bison (2-11). In fact, apart from two wins against NAIA competition – their only two wins – the Bison hadn’t finished within single digits of an opponent since opening day, until they lost by two to their most recent opponent on Monday night.

The team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has an RPI of 327 currently, only 23 from being statistically the worst team in the country – and by far the worst team in the Invitational, on paper. But, as any good coach schooled in the fine art of clichés will tell you, games are not won on paper.

Why Howard could win the tournament

In Howard’s most recent loss, the aforementioned two point loss at Jacksonville State, freshman guard R.J. Cole was unconscious from behind the arc. The Union, NJ native knocked down six of 11 to lead the team with 27 points. In the previous match-up, an 11 point win over Washington Adventist, Cole made four three’s and led the team with 30 points.

When it comes to scoring, Howard is getting better with every passing game. Although the Bison currently rank No. 299 in the nation in scoring offense with 68.2 points per game, their first round opponent, the UTEP Miners are just above them in the rankings at No. 288 with 69.5 points per game.

Howard is shooting 32.4 percent from the three-point line as a team. The Miners rank No. 315 in the nation in defending the three, allowing opponents to make 38.9 percent of their deep shots. Looking back at Miner losses, a clear pattern emerges of getting beat by the deep ball.

If Howard, on the back of a hot shooting Cole, were to drain three’s at the clip that they have been of late, there is major potential for an upset of UTEP.

Following their first win of the season against a Division I opponent, anything could happen in the championship game on Friday against either NDSU or UNCW. The Bison could surprise everyone and take home a Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational Tournament trophy while the young R.J. Cole takes home some hardware of his own.

Why Howard could regret coming to El Paso

Not surprisingly, based on their record, Howard plays some of the worst defense in the nation. The statistics show that the Bison rank No. 298 defensively in the country by giving up 78.5 points per game to their opponents.

Under interim head coach Phil Johnson, the Miners have seen their average score per game creep up to 74 points per game – up from 66.5 under Tim Floyd.

Following the Miners’ most recent victory over Incarnate Word, Johnson mentioned the need to get leading scorer, graduate guard Keith Frazier more involved in the offense. If Frazier gets back on track and the four other starters score in double-figures as they did against UIW on Tuesday, the Bison could very well regret ever having come to the Sun City following their opening game.

A blowout in the final game of opening night is wholly possible and the opposite of the projected positive outcome could be the case for Friday night. Having been blown out by the Miners, the visiting Howard Bison left with no answers defensively would take on either NDSU (70.1 ppg) or UNCW (81.8 ppg). Things could get really bad, really fast.

Conclusion

Honestly, it is going to take a miracle for Howard to pull off winning this tournament. But, they would be very happy to be overlooked and sneak up on someone.

The Miners are facing a few injuries and illnesses and are probably primed for an upset, if there were going to be one in the tournament – it would just mean that everything has to go perfectly for Cole and his team.

Sophomore forward Charles Williams is averaging 18 per game and then the averages drop off dramatically from Cole and Williams to everyone else. If Williams and Cole find “The Don” to their liking, there’s no telling how far the Bison could go – but, it may take the games of their lives to pull it off.