College basketball in November is usually a mess of "buy games" and blowouts where big schools pay smaller schools to come get beat by thirty points. But every once in a while, you get a bracketed tournament that actually matters. The 2024 Hall of Fame Classic wasn't just another stop on the non-conference calendar; it was a litmus test for programs trying to prove they belonged in the March conversation before the calendar even turned to December.
Kansas City has this specific energy. T-Mobile Center sits there in the Power & Light District, and when the mid-major fans start mixing with the blue-blood alumni, things get loud. This year’s iteration felt different because the stakes for the coaching staffs involved—specifically Iowa and Utah State—were incredibly high given the roster turnover both programs faced over the summer.
The Reality of the Hall of Fame Classic 2024 Field
People often overlook these early tournaments. They think it’s just filler. Honestly, they're wrong. The 2024 Hall of Fame Classic featured a lineup that focused on gritty, high-ceiling programs rather than just stacking the deck with top-five teams that sleepwalk through the first half.
Iowa came in looking to redefine their post-Caitlin Clark era identity on the men's side, which is a weird thing to say, but the buzz in Iowa City has shifted. Fran McCaffery’s squad is always built on pace. They want to run you into the ground. On the other side, you had a Utah State team that has become a perennial "giant killer" despite constantly losing their head coaches to bigger jobs.
It’s a brutal cycle for the Aggies. They win, their coach leaves for the Mountain West or a Power 4 school, and they have to rebuild. Yet, there they were in Kansas City, looking like they hadn't missed a beat. The tournament also featured Wichita State, a program that is desperately trying to reclaim the "Shockers" magic of the mid-2010s. For them, this wasn't just a tournament. It was a chance to prove to their boosters that the rebuild is ahead of schedule.
🔗 Read more: Who Won the Golf Tournament This Weekend: Richard T. Lee and the 2026 Season Kickoff
Why the Championship Game Flipped the Script
The final wasn't some polished clinic of offensive efficiency. It was a rock fight. That’s the beauty of the 2024 Hall of Fame Classic. When you play two games in two days, the legs go heavy. The jump shots that looked smooth on Thursday start hitting the front of the rim on Friday.
Utah State’s defensive rotations were the story. They bothered Iowa’s shooters, forcing them into contested mid-rangers rather than the open transition threes the Hawkeyes crave. It’s funny how a neutral site in Missouri can feel like a home game for both sides depending on which highway the fans drove down. The Iowa faithful showed up in those bright yellow hoodies, but the Utah State contingent—though smaller—was piercingly loud.
Ian Martinez for Utah State showed why he’s one of the most underrated guards in the country. He doesn't just score; he manipulates the gravity of the defense. Every time he drove to the cup, the Hawkeye defense collapsed, leaving lanes open for kick-outs that eventually iced the game. Iowa tried to mount a late surge—classic Fran-style full-court pressure—but the Aggies handled the rock with a veteran poise that you don't usually see this early in the season.
The Wichita State Factor and the Consolation Bracket
Wichita State is in a weird spot. They have the history. They have the "Play Angry" mantra. But the American Athletic Conference is a gauntlet now. Watching them in the 2024 Hall of Fame Classic, you could see the flashes of brilliance mixed with absolute "what are they doing?" moments.
💡 You might also like: The Truth About the Memphis Grizzlies Record 2025: Why the Standings Don't Tell the Whole Story
They struggled with turnovers in their opening matchup. If you can't protect the ball in Kansas City, you aren't going to protect it in March. Their win in the consolation game, however, showed a resilient side. It’s about the "bounce back." Coaches care more about how a team plays after a loss than how they play after a blowout win. The Shockers found some interior scoring that had been missing, and that might be the most important takeaway for their season trajectory.
What Most People Get Wrong About These Showcases
Common wisdom says these games don't matter because "it's only November." That's total nonsense. Ask any bracketologist. When Selection Sunday rolls around in four months, the committee looks at these neutral-site wins. A win in the 2024 Hall of Fame Classic is a "Quad 1" or "Quad 2" win that stays on the resume forever.
It’s also about the "eye test." Scouts from the NBA and international leagues are crawling all over the T-Mobile Center during these events. They aren't just looking at the stat sheet. They’re watching how a player reacts when they’re gassed at the four-minute mark of the second half. They're watching the huddles.
Key Tactical Takeaways
- Zone Defense is Back: We saw more creative 2-3 and 1-3-1 looks in this tournament than in previous years. Teams are using it to hide foul trouble early in the season.
- The Transfer Portal Mesh: You can tell which teams spent the summer actually practicing and which ones just assembled a "fantasy team." Utah State looked like a unit. Iowa looked like a group of very talented individuals still learning each other's favorite spots on the floor.
- Neutral Site Variables: The shooting backdrops in pro arenas like the T-Mobile Center are notoriously difficult for college kids used to smaller campus gyms. The shooting percentages reflected that struggle.
The Fallout for the Rest of the Season
So, where do these teams go from here?
📖 Related: The Division 2 National Championship Game: How Ferris State Just Redrew the Record Books
Utah State leaves Kansas City with a massive boost of confidence. They proved they can travel halfway across the country and beat a Big Ten opponent. That’s huge for their seeding. For Iowa, it’s a wake-up call. They need to find a secondary scoring option when their primary sets get blown up by physical perimeter defending.
The 2024 Hall of Fame Classic serves as a bridge. It bridges the gap between the "experimental" phase of the season and the "grind" phase. By the time conference play hits in January, the lessons learned in the humidity of a midwestern November will be the difference between an at-large bid and a Tuesday night game in the NIT.
Basically, if you missed the action, you missed the blueprint for how these four teams are going to play for the next four months. The Aggies are for real. The Hawkeyes are a work in progress. And the Shockers are still searching for that one signature win to turn the corner.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you’re following these teams, keep an eye on Utah State’s ATS (Against The Spread) performance in their next three home games. They’ve historically over-performed after a successful tournament run. For Iowa, watch the "Over" totals. Even when they lose, they play fast, and the books often take a few weeks to adjust to their true possession count. Finally, check the injury reports for Wichita State; they played a thin rotation in Kansas City and might be looking to rest some starters against their upcoming sub-300 KenPom opponents.
The road to the Final Four always has a few stops in places like Kansas City. This year, the stop was more revealing than most.