State is
going to host the BCA Invitational in Raleigh from November 17-19.
Also in the field: ECU, Elon, Pepperdine, Oregon State, New Orleans (coached by
Monte Towe), Siena, and Farleigh-Dickinson. It's a pretty poor field - which is to say what we've come to expect at N.C.
State (and we realize that they aren't necessarily responsible for the field),
but it's a good precedent.
We've said for some time that it's time to bring back something resembling
the Dixie Classic. With a beautiful arena in Raleigh, and now extremely solid
teams in Durham, Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem and Raleigh, and also the dilution
caused by expansion, it's a chance to really focus the basketball world's
attention firmly on North Carolina. Either as a pre-season or holiday
tournament, it would be sensational and a huge marketing tool for the
conference.