With David away for the day, I have agreed to post his Highlighted Games, with a few additions by yours truly:
-NOTRE DAME V UMASS. Both are both unbeaten, though this will be the toughest test yet for both teams
-Utah State and Mississippi State – Neither are expected to do much, but both are currently unbeaten.
-NORTH CAROLINA V DAVIDSON. Game is in Charlotte. Both are unbeaten. Davidson has had some really good teams in the past, but doesn’t appear to be quite as strong this year.
-OMAHA (transitional) AT MARQUETTE. Marquette should win this game easily, but if they don’t, they’re probably not a relevant team. (Chad’s note: I think this will be a lot tougher game for Marquette than David does)
-FLORIDA STATE V PROVIDENCE. Providence isn’t a team that’s gotten much attention. Florida State has, but they already have a home loss to Northeastern on their profile. Both these teams could use a notable win on their profile at this point.
-YALE AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. A team that should do well in the Ivy League visits an up and coming MVC team.
-NEBRASKA AT RHODE ISLAND. Both teams are unbeaten, and both are unproven. Nebraska is in the rankings, but they haven’t played away from home or against anybody good. This could be a big win for URI’s profile.
-AMERICAN AT LOUISIANA TECH. American is the preseason favorite to win the Patriot, and LA Tech is who we thought would win CUSA. Both have been disappointing early on, but both have a ton of potential.
-MISSOURI STATE AT TEXAS TECH. Missouri State hasn’t lost. Texas Tech has played well throughout the course of games, but have still had plays not go their way. This is a pivotal game for both teams at this point in the year.
-NORTHEASTERN AT NAVY. A win for Northeastern keeps them unbeaten and inside the bubble. Winning at Navy is never easy (just ask Michigan State). This game is a semifinal in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Springfield Bracket, with Manhattan vs Binghamton as the other two teams.
-NEW MEXICO STATE AT UTEP. The preseason WAC favorite visits an NCAA Tournament caliber team.
-BOISE STATE AT WISCONSIN. Boise has played well away from home and hasn’t lost. They could easily end up inside the bubble by the time the year is over. Tonight, they take on a #1 seed candidate on the road.
– ELON at NORTHWESTERN: Northwestern barely got by North Florida the other day. They need to play a lot better.
– UNLV vs TEMPLE: The Consolation game of Coaches vs Cancer, Vegas really needs to bounce back from a drubbing last night at the hands of Stanford.
– STANFORD vs DUKE: The Championship game of Coaches vs Cancer. Duke is looking for another high profile win. Stanford would make a huge jump up into the national rankings if they pull this one out after what they did to UNLV last night.
– Clemson vs Nevada and LSU vs Weber State: The consolation semifinals of the Paradise Jam (the winner’s bracket semifinals are Sunday). These are probably the two games most people would have picked for the other side of the bracket as Gardner-Webb, Illinois State and Old Dominion all pulled off upsets yesterday. LSU was a team we thought could be in the tournament discussion by the end of the year, but they cannot afford another loss in the Virgin Islands if they want to actually be there.
– Cal State-Northridge vs Samford and UMKC vs Arkansas-Little Rock: These two games are being played in Little Rock as a four team tournament that is part of the Maui Invitational (called Maui on the Mainland). UMKC has played very well so far this year and while no win here would be overly notable, if they win this event they may prove that they are legitimate contenders in the WAC.