There’s no better way to understand a team early in the season than watching them in-person at a multi-team tournament.
These games in obscure venues played in casinos, beaches, resorts, and NBA arenas across the continent are a strange carve-out from the regular season. Despite the apparent randomness, they are a close parallel to postseason play. There’s no home-court advantage, and teams play on short rest, which magnifies professionalism, coaching, and preparation.
Unlike an NCAA Tournament game, where media is often tucked away in an obscure corner of an arena or dome, these early-season tournaments are as close as media gets to the actual action on the floor. After spending three days sitting directly across from Michigan’s bench in the Bahamas, here are eight observations and takeaways about what makes this team so effective.
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