Matchups revealed for opening round of 2023 Fort Myers Tip-Off

While the field has been set for several months now, the matchups have been revealed for the opening round of the 2023 Fort Myers Tip-Off in Fort Myers, Florida. College basketball fans will get treated to a field that includes: the Virginia Cavaliers, the Wisconsin Badgers, the West Virginia Mountaineers, and the SMU Mustangs. The opening round matchups were revealed on Thursday night on Twitter by college basketball expert Jon Rothstein. Virginia will play Wisconsin and West Virginia will face the SMU Mustangs in the first round.

A look at the 2023 Fort Myers Tip-Off Field (Fort Myers, Florida)

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett got an early birthday present and a massive boost to his 2023 roster when his star guard, Reece Beekman, wisely decided to withdraw his name from the 2023 NBA Draft. The news is massive for the Cavaliers’ roster heading into next year, as Beekman is the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best point guards in the ACC. Last season, Beekman averaged 9.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game for Virginia. He played a crucial role in guiding the Cavaliers to a 2023 ACC Tournament Championship Game appearance against Duke.

The Cavaliers added some critical pieces in the offseason via the transfer portal, including 6-foot-8, 240-pound center Jordan Minor. He was the NEC Defensive Player of the Year for Merrimack after he led the conference in blocks and blocks per game. Tony Bennett had to completely revamp his roster from the portal, as he lost Armaan Franklin to the 2023 NBA Draft and Isaac Traudt and Kadin Shedrick to the transfer portal. Virginia was painfully bounced in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament by the Furman Paladins.

The Wisconsin Badgers return All-Big Ten honorable mention point guard, Chucky Hepburn. He averaged 12.2 points to co-lead the Badgers in scoring in the 2022-2023 season. Wisconsin’s big man will be forward Steven Crowl. He averaged 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds in just over 30 minutes per game last year. Sophomore guard Connor Essegian averaged 11.7 points last year as a freshman for Wisconsin. He earned All-Big Ten freshman team honors. Those are few key returnees next season for Badgers’ head coach Greg Gard. Last year, Wisconsin finished with a 20-15 overall record. They ended their season with a 56-54 loss in the 2023 NIT Semifinals to the North Texas Mean Green.

The West Virginia Mountaineers also landed a few key pieces this offseason from the transfer portal. The two biggest were former Arizona sharpshooter Kerr Kriisa and former Syracuse big man Jesse Edwards. The Mountaineers’ 2023 roster will also have another addition from the portal, former Manhattan guard They’ll be taking on the SMU Mustangs in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

SMU is coming off a horrendous season in 2022-2023 in which they finished with a 10-22 overall record.