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Gonzaga looks to be the early Old Spice Classic favorite

NCAA Basketball Tournament - Gonzaga v Ohio State

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 17: Kevin Pangos #4 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs drives in the first half against Aaron Craft #4 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the third round of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Consol Energy Center on March 17, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

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The bracket for the 2012 Old Spice Classic was released on Thursday, and while the games scheduled for Orlando offer quality there’s a chance the best game could be the one that isn’t part of the bracket.

That would be West Virginia’s trip to Spokane to take on Gonzaga on November 12, which is also a part of ESPN’s 24-hour marathon to celebrate the start of the season.

Here’s a quick look at the Old Spice Classic, which will be played on November 22, 23 and 25.

Old Spice Classic Schedule (all times Eastern)

November 22
Noon West Virginia vs. Marist (ESPN2)
2 PM Vanderbilt vs. Davidson (ESPN2)
7 PM UTEP vs. Oklahoma (ESPN2)
9 PM Clemson vs. Gonzaga (ESPN)

November 23
12:30 PM Semifinal #1 (ESPN)
3 PM Consolation #1 (ESPNU)
5:30 PM Consolation #2 (ESPN2)
7:30 PM Semifinal #2 (ESPN2)

November 25
11:30 AM 5th place game (ESPNU)
2 PM 7th place game (ESPN3)
4:30 PM 3rd place game (ESPNU)
7 PM Championship game (ESPN2)

Best quarterfinal: Vanderbilt vs. Davidson
Unfortunately that WVU/Gonzaga game can’t be counted as a quarterfinal, but the Commodores and Wildcats should be entertaining as well. Vanderbilt does lose a lot with Festus Ezeli, Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins all in the NBA (lost six seniors total), but Kevin Stallings has some talented youngsters at his disposal.

Kedren Johnson, Rod Odom and Dai-Jon Parker are three of those players, and they’re going to have their hands full (and then some) with a Davidson team poised to repeat as SoCon champs.

Jake Cohen and De’Mon Brooks were one of the least-publicized front court tandems in America last season, and 6-4 guard J.P. Kuhlman is another outstanding player for Bob McKillop’s squad.

Best individual match-up (that we know will happen): Elias Harris (Gonzaga) vs. Devin Booker (Clemson)
With Clemson losing their top two scorers from last season Booker will need to be a major cog in the attack on both ends of the floor. Whether or not he’s able to do so once the Tigers reach ACC play will likely be known after their weekend in Orlando.

As for Harris, if he can remain healthy the senior is more than capable of going out with a bang. While some criticized Harris for his play last season, a look at his numbers shows an improvement from his sophomore year. Gonzaga has many weapons, but a Harris at his best makes the Bulldogs a much tougher team to beat.

Best individual match-up (that you want to see): Cohen (Davidson) vs. Aaric Murray (West Virginia)
Murray was one of the best big men in the Atlantic 10 while at La Salle, and while he may not be as versatile as the departed Kevin Jones he’ll have an impact on the Mountaineers.

Cohen was mentioned above, and he’s one of the key figures Davidson will need to play well should they match up with a West Virginia team that has some size in the paint.

Winner: Gonzaga
This isn’t the greatest in-season tournament field, with a number of the teams having some major questions to answer about themselves. The closest thing to a “finished” product is Gonzaga, who have the talent needed to account for the losses of Robert Sacre’ and Marquise Carter.

Clemson could be tricky and a possible semifinal match-up with Oklahoma could be as well, but Gonzaga’s biggest challenge likely comes in the title game. Is it West Virginia? Davidson? Either way it’s difficult to pick against the Zags in this one.

Raphielle is also the assistant editor at CollegeHoops.net and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.