The Continental Tire Main Event is one of college basketball's newest early-season tournaments. Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena hosts the event with the games taking place on November 17 and 19.

The tournament features only four teams, which lacks in comparison to the eight-team fields of the Maui Invitational and the Battle 4 Atlantis. However, notable squads still annually participate in the Continental Tire Main Event. For example, Arizona (2021) and Virginia (2022) are the last two winners of the tournament; the Wildcats won the Pac-12 in 2021, and the Cavaliers won the ACC in 2022.

Saint Mary's, San Diego State, Washington, and Xavier are this year's participants. Who will come out on top? Let's check out the bracket, FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds for the tournament, and breakdown each squad.

Continental Tire Main Event Bracket

Continental Tire Main Event Odds

Saint Mary's Hopes to Get Back On Track

Despite a disappointing start to the season, the Saint Mary's Gaels remain the clear favorite to win the 2023 Continental Tire Main Event.

The Gaels are the highest-ranked team in the event by Bart Torvik's model (16th) -- although San Diego State is not far behind at 20th. Saint Mary's is led by strong defense, which is third-best in Bart Torvik's adjusted defensive efficiency. However, the Gaels' offense has been a concern as it is 50th in adjusted offensive efficiency.

A lack of scoring was the Gaels' downfall in their sole loss of the season; they lost 61-57 against Weber State as 16.5-point favorites on November 12.

Aidan Mahaney has been Saint Mary's clear top dog on offense as he is averaging 17.0 points per game (PPG). Harry Wessels has the second-best mark at 11.3 PPG.

When opposing teams take away Mahaney, the Gaels can get in trouble. The second-year guard mustered only 11 points against Weber State while shooting 28.6% from the field (4-14). The offense seems to lack balance thus far with Mahaney and Wessels as the only double-digit scorers.

Saint Mary's will likely lean on their defense in the upcoming tournament.

San Diego State Listed as Second Option

As previously mentioned, the San Diego State Aztecs are not far behind Saint Mary's in Bart Torvik's rankings. When looking at KenPom's rankings, SDSU is actually ahead of the Gaels (31st compared to 44th).

Similar to Saint Mary's, it's been a shaky start for the Aztecs. San Diego State flourished in their first game with a 26-point win against Cal State Fullerton as 14.5-point favorites. In their second game -- where they were 2.0-point underdogs -- the Aztecs fell 74-65 against BYU.

Per usual, SDSU is relying on their defense. They rank 11th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 56th in adjusted offensive efficiency. The scoring inconsistencies should be expected since they returned only 47.7% of their minutes from last season.

These were notable losses, too. Matt Bradley -- last season's leading scorer -- exhausted his eligibility, and Keshad Johnson was a key loss on the defensive end as he transferred to Arizona.

Jaedon LeDee (24.0 PPG) and Reese Waters (15.0 PPG) have taken on big roles on the offensive end. The Aztecs could be pursuing consistency and balance from their offense in the upcoming tournament. If they get that, San Diego State could be primed to win the Continental Tire Main Even thanks to its strong D.

Washington, Xavier Are Dark Horse Candidates

Following Saint Mary's and San Diego State, there's a sharp drop off to the third and fourth options to win the Continental Tire Main Event. Washington has the third-shortest odds to win the event (+430) while Xavier is the last choice (+500).

The Huskies project to be one of the worst teams in the Pac-12, sporting the fifth-longest odds to win the conference (+3100), per FanDuel's college basketball conference odds. Washington returns only 45.5% of their minutes and ranks 76th in KenPom.

The Musketeers could be an intriguing dark horse pick -- especially at +500. They rank 37th in KenPom (second-best mark of the four-team field). Xavier has certainly had the toughest schedule so far as they come off an 83-71 loss against No. 2 Purdue.

This has been a balanced team, ranking 36th in offensive efficiency and 44th in defensive efficiency. The perimeter defense has also excelled, ranking in the 93rd percentile of attempted three-pointers allowed per game. The three-point defense could be especially useful against San Diego State, a team that ranks in the 63rd percentile of attempted threes per game.

Overall, the 2023 Continental Tire Main Event odds look quite interesting. Saint Mary's is the favorite to win the event, but after the Gaels' upset loss against Weber State, San Diego State and Xavier could be better options. Both teams have higher marks in some metrics, such as KenPom, and offer more profit with enticing lines.

Looking for more college basketball betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook to check out all of the upcoming college basketball odds.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.