BYU basketball: UMass says the Cougars will play in 2017 Barclays Center Classic

It looks like BYU basketball has locked down at least one preseason tournament for the 2017-18 season.

According to a news release from UMass, BYU will participate in the Barclay’s Center Classic (home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets) over Thanksgiving week. The games are traditionally played on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.

According to the release, UMass and Alabama will also be playing, along with one other unannounced team to round out the four-team tournament.

UMass published the release in July, but our friends at Blogging The Bracket recently picked up the news and added it to their preseason tournament events page.

BYU last played in the Barclay’s Center in 2012 for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. BYU lost both games in the tournament to Florida State and Notre Dame.

UMass is coming off a disappointing 14-18 season that saw the firing of its head coach. The Minutemen recently hired Matt McCall from Chattanooga to lead the program.

BYU and UMass recently played a home-and-home (of sorts). The ranked Minutemen claimed a 105-96 win in a 2013 game in Springfield, Mass., then BYU claimed the 2014 matchup in Provo, winning 77-71 in overtime.

BYU and Alabama both participated in last season’s Men Who Speak Up tournament in Las Vegas but did not play each other. Alabama is coached by former NBA player and coach Avery Johnson.

Alabama finished last season at 19-15, which ended in a first round NIT exit to Richmond. The Crimson Tide return its top three scorers from last season.

BYU has yet to release an official announcement of its participation. We look forward to who the fourth team will be and the first-round round matchups.