Historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City sets the scene for Saturday’s Air Force Reserve Boardwalk Classic. 

The Air Force Reserve Boardwalk Classic quadruple-header marks one of the final opportunities for each of the eight participants to make some noise in non-conference competition. For the Boardwalk Classic field, marquee matchups like these in December are central to their March ambitions. 

“These teams are probably all going to be [NCAA] tournament teams,” Princeton guard Devin Cannady said of the Tigers’ current stretch. Princeton faces Iona in the first of Saturday’s four games, a matchup bookended with road trips to St. John’s, Duke and Arizona State. 

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“That’s what we’re trying to be, as well. As we prepare for conference play, these games are going to mold us, shape us going into Jan. 5 [the date of Princeton’s Ivy League opener vs. Penn],” Cannady added. 

Such is the theme of the day in Atlantic City. The three games following Princeton-Iona feature three teams with 8-1 records — Davidson, NC State and Virginia Tech — and none with a KenPom.com national ranking lower than No. 74. 

Virtually from top-to-bottom, any team that leaves the Boardwalk Classic with a win dramatically improves its March resume. But while the end reward might be the same, the stakes vary throughout the field. 

Penn State and Washington each draw opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference: NC State and Virginia Tech, respectively. The Boardwalk Classic marks the latest in a run of tough matchups for both teams; and their respective, early-season gauntlets have not come without taking some lumps.

Penn State sits at 5-4, with two narrow losses to Big Ten foes Maryland and Indiana. The Nittany Lions also dropped decisions to Bradley and DePaul last month by a combined five points, but closed out November securing one signature victory: A 63-62 defeat of Virginia Tech. 

The loss is Virginia Tech’s only blemish on the campaign, but Washington hopes increase that number to two. The Huskies have faced a challenging slate on the way to a 7-3 record, with road losses to Auburn and a heartbreaker at Gonzaga.

“We showed a lot of heart and a lot of toughness,” Huskies coach Mike Hopkins said in his postgame press conference following the 81-79 Gonzaga loss, which was decided at the buzzer. 

Washington demonstrated heart and toughness, but it must also show some quality wins come Selection Sunday. The Huskies beat KenPom No. 82 San Diego last month, but a defeat of No. 11 Virginia Tech would carry some real weight. 

Against Virginia Tech, Washington’s zone defense, which Hopkins brought with him to Washington from his time working as an assistant to Jim Boeheim at Syracuse, needs to perform just as well as it did in the Gonzaga game. The Huskies held the Zags to 17 points below their season average in that meeting, and the Hokies come to Atlantic City boasting a similarly prolific offense. 

With a four-man corps of scorers each posting between 12.7 and 17.7 points per game, head coach Buzz Williams’ Hokies are one of the nation’s most effective offenses. They rank No. 6 overall in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com metrics. 

Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 17.7 points per sets the pace, with Justin Robinson scoring 15 per and Ahmed Hill and Kerry Blackshear Jr. both adding 12.7. All four are shooting 40 percent or better from behind the 3-point line, providing a certain test for Washington’s zone defense. 

Before the Virginia Tech-Washington finale, Davidson and Temple meet in an intriguing matchup of teams aiming to break out ahead of conference play. The Wildcats and Owls are No. 71 and No. 74 in the KenPom rankings, and No. 79 and No. 73 in the NCAA’s new NET rankings. 

Looming right around that all-important 68th spot, a head-to-head win against an opponent with a similar resume carries significant weight. Both Davidson and Temple feature potent one-two scoring punches to set the pace. Shizz Alston Jr. averages a team-high 16.9 points per game for the Owls, with Quinton Rose not far behind at 16.7. 

The Davidson duo of Jon Axel Gudmundsson and Kellan Grady are averaging 19.6 and 19.4 points per game, making them two of the nation’s top 75 individual scorers — and two of the five top-100 scorers at the Broadway Classic. 

The field also features Washington’s Jaylen Nowell (18.8 points per game, No. 90 nationally), Penn State’s Lamar Stevens (20.1, No. 52) and Princeton’s Cannady (21.2 points per game, No. 33). Cannady, who heads into Saturday’s action ninth all-time in Princeton history with 1,351 career points, needs just 15 to move to No. 8 in program history. 

In addition to the abundance of talented scorers at the Broadway Classic, everyone involved must be mindful of their possessions — otherwise, they’re likely to get pick-pocketed. 

Three of the country’s 10 leaders in steals are in Atlantic City: Penn State’s Josh Reaves (2.89 per game, No. 4), Princeton’s Jose Morales (2.83 per game, No. 7) and Washington’s Matisse Thybulle (2.7, No. 9). The quadruple-header also includes Iona’s Rickey McGill, whose 2.38 steals per game ranks him No. 26 nationally, not to mention Rose of Temple and Virginia Tech’s Alexander-Walker, who are tied for No. 29 in the nation at 2.33 steals per game. 

IONA vs. PRINCETON — Live on FloHoops

11:30 a.m. ET 

NAMES TO KNOW

Iona: Rickey McGill, E.J. Crawford, Tajuan Agee

Princeton: Devin Cannady, Jose Morales, Jaelin Llewellyn 

Overview: 

Iona and Princeton tip off the Boardwalk Classic in the day’s only matchup featuring teams not ranked in the top 100 of either the KenPom.com or NET rankings. But that doesn’t impact the importance. 

“Iona’s going to be a team who’s hungry to get a win, just like us,” Cannady said. “It’s going to be a very competitive game.” 

Iona reached the NCAA Tournament a season ago, and returned leading scorers Rickey McGill and E.J. Crawford. However, the Gaels have been forced to make some major changes in the 2018-19 season’s first month, losing forward Roland Griffin — who scored 21 points against Duke last March — just prior to the season opener. 

Princeton has added its own new looks to the lineup surrounding the explosive-scoring Cannady: Most notably freshman Jaelin Llewellyn, who debuted with 17 points on Dec. 9 against St. John’s. 

The addition of Llewellyn to the backcourt of Cannady and Jose Morales could make the Tigers, picked fourth in the preseason Ivy League media poll, a dangerous dark horse in the conference chase. If nothing else, Princeton will have a variety of options to score. 

“If [opponents] want to limit my 3-point shot,” said Cannady, who is on pace to make the most 3-pointers in program history, “then good luck guarding Richmond [Aririguzoh], or Myles [Stephens] in the post; Jerome [Desrosiers] and Ryan [Schwieger] coming into the game; and we have something I don’t think we had before in two primary ball-handlers with Jose and Jaelin.” 

PENN STATE vs. NC STATE

2 p.m. ET 

NAMES TO KNOW

Penn State: Lamar Stevens, Josh Reaves, Rasir Bolton 

NC State: Torin Dorn, Markell Johnson, C.J. Bryce 

Overview: 

At No. 18, NC State boasts the best NET ranking of the eight teams at the Boardwalk Classic. That bodes well for the Wolfpack’s early NCAA Tournament aspirations under second-year head coach Kevin Keatts. 

Keatts has implemented at NC State the same fluid and effective offensive approach that buoyed his UNC Wilmington team to tournament appearances in 2015 and 2016. His last UNCW team ranked No. 19 in adjusted offensive efficiency, and this NC State bunch is ahead of that pace at No. 14. 

Point guard Markell Johnson, an outstanding distributor, has helped bolster the Pack’s offense this season with an improved scoring touch. He’s averaging a career-best 12.2 points per game and shooting a torrid 48.6 percent from 3-point range. Johnson and the athletic Torin Dorn make for one of the more formidable backcourts in the ACC. 

Penn State counters with an edge in the post. Lamar Stevens is enjoying a breakout 2018-19, almost five points and three rebounds more per game than a season ago. Stevens will be central to Penn State’s upset bid against a perimeter-oriented Wolfpack bunch. 

TEMPLE vs. DAVIDSON 

4:30 p.m. ET 

NAMES TO KNOW

Davidson: Jon Axl Gudmundsson, Kellan Grady, Luka Brajkovic

Temple: Shizz Alston Jr., Quinton Rose, Nate Pierre-Lois

Overview: 

An opportunity for a marquee win is on the line for two teams off to strong starts, albeit against unimpressive schedules. Temple’s faced the nation’s No. 139-ranked strength of schedule, while Davidson’s 8-1 start has come against the No. 223 schedule. 

The Boardwalk Classic should offer some insight into the state of both squads. Coming in, at least, both have looked like the quintessential reflections of their coaches’ styles. 

Davidson teams under Bob McKillop have typically fed off the scoring ability of perimeter players with outside touch, and the 2018-19 Wildcats have that times two with Kellan Grady and Jon Axl Gudmundsson. Both shoot the 3-pointer effectively, and use that threat to attack the rim off the dribble. 

Davidson’s also added the interior production of freshman Luka Brajkovic, whom McKillop called “magnificent” following the Wildcats’ Dec. 4 win over Winthrop. 

Temple, meanwhile, has relied on the kind of aggressive defense long associated with Fran Dunphy-coached teams. The Owls rank No. 9 nationally in defensive steal percentage, and No. 60 in opponent turnover percentage. 

Temple’s defensive approach provides an intriguing juxtaposition to the high-scoring Davidson offensive approach. 

Saturday is Temple’s return to Boardwalk Hall, the former home of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament, prior to the Owls’ departure for the American Athletic. Davidson joined the A-10 shortly after Temple left. 

VIRGINIA TECH vs. WASHINGTON 

7 p.m. ET 

NAMES TO KNOW

Virginia Tech: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Ahmed Hill, Justin Robinson, Kerry Blackshear Jr. 

Washington: Jaylen Nowell, Noah Dickerson, Matisse Thybulle, David Crisp 

Overview: 

A 2018-19 season that opened with high expectations for Washington soured quickly. The Huskies lost to Auburn in a blowout on opening weekend. They looked much more like the squad pundits and pollsters anticipated at Gonzaga, but they still lack an all-important, marquee win. 

That ups the ante for Washington in Atlantic City where it faces an excellent Virginia Tech squad. Buzz Williams has what has thus far been his best squad in Blacksburg, running off to an 8-1 start. 

Virginia Tech’s balanced offensive approach adds an exciting dynamic to the always-stout defensive efforts typical of a Williams-coached team. 

Washington has the starting five to stand up to Virginia Tech, but the Huskies’ ability to defend the Hokies’ 3-point shot is a prominent question mark. The Huskies will have to rely more on generating turnovers, something they excelled at in 2017-18 (No. 33 nationally in opponent turnover percentage) but have not yet established through 10 games in 2018-19.

Don't forget to watch the Iona-Princeton game live right here on FloHoops.

Kyle Kensing is a freelance sports journalist in southern California. Follow him on Twitter @kensing45.