On Tuesday, it was announced that a new 3-on-3 tournament during the Final Four will debut beginning in 2018, with the winning team taking home a grand prize of a cool $100K.
The criteria for the teams are simple: Participants must be current college basketball players, must be an outgoing senior, and will participate on an invite-only basis selected by Intersport, the marketing company putting on the "3-on-3 Hoops Invitational."
Essentially, this format will be a 3-on-3 all-star team with seniors from each conference joining forces to form a superteam. The ACC will have a team, as will the Big Ten, Big 12, and so on. So with that in mind, what might those teams look like? We've done some digging to formulate our picks for the 3-on-3 senior all-star team for the top conferences.
It's worth noting that players who are involved with the ongoing Final Four will be ineligible to compete in the event
ACC
- Bonzie Colson — Notre Dame
- Grayson Allen — Duke
- Joel Berry II — North Carolina
- Ben Lammers — Georgia Tech
Summary: First one, best one. I think this would be the team that takes home the $100K if I'm making a prediction. Bonzie Colson and Grayson Allen could form a dynamic inside-out duo, and Berry, a national title winner, has the speed and elusiveness that makes him impossible to guard when there's space on the floor. Georgia Tech's 6-foot-10 big man Ben Lammers could come off the bench and provide some serious rim protection.
American Athletic Conference
Summary: Last season, Rob Gray Jr. was the American Athletic Conference scoring champion by averaging 20.6 points per game for Houston. Combine him with Cincinnati's Kyle Washington -- a rim-running big who can dominate the glass with extreme scoring efficiency -- and you've got yourself a squad. I like Temple's Obi Enechionyia as the third man with his ability to rebound and, with Cincinnati's Gary Clark coming off the bench. This is a jumbo lineup centered around Gray Jr.'s ability to score the rock.
Big East
Summary: This is a fearsome foursome with Xavier's all-everything Trevon Bluiett leading the way, and Seton Hall's Angel Delgado providing the paint presence they'd need to compete around the rim. I like Creighton high-flyer Marcus Foster as the third man, and Butler's Kelan Martin coming off the bench. In this group, you'd have the Big East's returning leading scorer (Foster), the leading returning rebounder (Delgado), and perhaps the league's best senior NBA prospect in Bluiett.
Big Ten
Summary: Northwestern's Bryant McIntosh burst onto the scene last season in leading the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, but he's no sleeper headed into the 2017 season. With McIntosh and Purdue's 7-foot-2 stud Isaac Haas, I think this Big Ten team could hold its weight as good as any team. I like Minnesota's Nate Mason -- a young man who averaged 15.5 points per game last season -- as the savvy scorer to lead the way on the offensive end of the floor, and senior guard Jae'Sean Tate as the reserve.
Big 12
- Devonte' Graham — Kansas
- Jevon Carter — West Virginia
- Jeff Carroll — Oklahoma State
- Vladimir Brodziansky — TCU
Summary: The Big 12 is a guard-heavy league, and I have to go with the best talent on the floor. So for that reason, I'm going with a starting lineup of Devonte' Graham, Jevon Carter and Jeff Carroll, with the 6-foot-6 Carroll representing the only legitimate size on the floor. All three were top-15 scorers in the conference last season. Add in big man Vladimir Brodziansky coming off the bench, and this squad has a pretty solid core that will play small, but will be difficult to keep pace with on offense.
SEC
- Yante Maten — Georgia
- Deandre Burnett — Ole Miss
- Matthew Fisher-Davis — Vanderbilt
- Daryl Macon — Arkansas
Summary: Georgia's Yante Maten is the headliner of this group as a potential All-SEC player headed into 2017, but I really like what this team could be centered around Ole Miss scoring guard Deandre Burnett. Burnett averaged 16.5 points per game last season; combine him with sharpshooter Matthew Fisher-Davis, and you've got a starting trio that can run the floor and score at will both inside and out. When you've got Arkansas' Daryl Macon coming off the bench, you're in really good shape.
Pac-12
Summary: If I were to tell you I'm putting two of the Pac-12's top returning scorers on a team, you'd probably take it, right? That's what you've got in Tra Holder and Reid Travis—a scoring guard and small forward who can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry. I'll go with USC's Jordan McLaughlin as the third man and Colorado's George King off the bench.
This team is extremely undersized and may be susceptible to more big-man heavy rosters, but talent-wise, I like this accumulation of scoring guards to win a game or two.
WCC
- Jock Landale — Saint Mary's
- Gabe Taylor — Portland
- Cameron Neubauer — San Diego
- Johnathan Williams — Gonzaga
Summary: This is a big team (literally) no team would want to face. With 6-foot-11 big man Jock Landale leading the way, you've got 6-foot-8 Gabe Taylor, 6-foot-7 Cameron Neubauer, and 6-foot-8 Johnathan Williams coming off the bench. All the bigs!
There's no guards, but you've got a jumbo roster who can test the theory of playing bully-ball in a 3-on-3 format. It may not work, but it'd sure be fun to watch.
Atlantic 10
- Jaylen Adams — St. Bonaventure
- Peyton Aldridge — Davidson
- E.C. Matthews — Rhode Island
- B.J. Johnson — La Salle
Summary: Don't sleep on the A-10 starting lineup of Jaylen Adams, Peyton Aldridge and E.C. Matthews. The first of those averaged more than 20 points per game as juniors, and the Matthews is a tantalizing talent who has flown under the radar after an ACL tear that sidelined him in 2015-16.
