San Diego Set to Play in 2014 Wooden Legacy

It was announced today by the tournaments website that the San Diego Toreros will play in the Wooden Legacy. The tournament features eight teams and is played over Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 27, Nov. 28 and Nov. 30).

Joining the Toreros is Long Beach State, Princeton, San Jose State, UTEP, Washington, Western Michigan and Xavier. The bracket is yet to be determined, so USD will have to wait to see its first round opponent.

The field of teams is solid and will provide San Diego a great challenge.

The West Coast Conference has a history of playing in this tournament, which is held on the campus of Cal State-Fullerton. Saint Mary’s and Pacific (although they were not a member of the WCC yet) played in the 2012 Wooden Legacy, with the Tigers making it all the way to the championship game before they were knocked off by California. Santa Clara played in the 2011 tournament. Portland played in the 2009 tournament and just like Pacific, advanced all the way to the championship game only to lose to West Virginia 84 to 66. Saint Mary’s played in the 2008 version of the tournament, while San Diego played in the first ever tournament in 2007.

Many WCC players have made the All-Tournament team, including Lorenzo McCloud (Pacific), Evan Roquemore (Santa Clara), T.J. Campbell (Portland) and Patrick Mills (Saint Mary’s). Could Johnny Dee or Christopher Anderson be next?

Speculation aside, this provides a very good opportunity for San Diego to garner some experience against some solid teams. While there is no powerhouse in the field, Washington, Xavier and Long Beach State will all be formidable foes for the Toreros. However, If USD gets hot – which is entirely a possibility -they could surprise some people and take home the title.