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The Villanova Wildcats will take on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in the first round of the 2019 Myrtle Beach Invitational, per Jon Rothstein on Twitter:
Sources: Matchups for the 2019 Myrtle Beach Invitational have been set.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 11, 2019
Villanova/Middle Tennessee
Mississippi State/Tulane
Utah/Coastal Carolina
Baylor/Ohio
***Matchups are confirmed, bracket layout still being finalized.
UPDATE 7/11 2:26: The tournament has released the full bracket. Villanova and Mississippi State on one side, Baylor and Utah on the other.
Here it is! The Official 2019 Myrtle Beach Invitational Bracket. We're looking forward to some exciting match-ups at #MBI19.
— Myrtle Beach Invitational (@MyrtleInvite) July 11, 2019
Tickets go on sale to the public August 15th.@BaylorMBB @CoastalMBB @MT_MBB @HailStateMBK @OhioMBasketball @GreenWaveMBB @UtahMBB @NovaMBB pic.twitter.com/XmBMQTgBqp
Middle Tennessee finished 247th last season per KenPom, but they do have a history of upsetting higher seeds in tournaments. In the second round, Mississippi State would be a much tougher opponent. The Bulldogs should flirt with the Top 25 to start the season, and their sophomore big man Reggie Perry just beat out Villanova’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl for the USA U19 Team MVP.
Nova fans will hope to see Baylor in the final as likely the only other ranked team in the field at the start of the season. If Villanova can walk away with the Championship, it will be their 7th consecutive early season title.