SPOTLIGHT GAMES
-OHIO STATE AT MARQUETTE. This is the first non-cupcake opponent for either team. Hopefully it’s not rained out this year. It’s a game between two teams that will likely end up as protected seeds.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTED MATCH-UPS
-SETON HALL AT MERCER. Seton Hall Has squeaked out two wins, and Mercer dropped one at Texas that they really should have won. It’s not often that teams from power leagues travel to Mercer, and although I don’t think Seton Hall is all that good, they have not lost yet. It’s a big game for both teams, potentially on and off paper. Seton Hall could use a road win against a decent team, and Mercer could use a win of any kind over a team with a brand name.
-ARKON AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE. It’s too early to tell if these teams will be anywhere near the bubble come March, but both should be key players in their respective conferences.
-NORTHERN IOWA AT GEORGE MASON. I’m not that big on this George Mason team, but they have won their first two games and it will be interesting to see what they can do against a Northern Iowa team that appears to be fairly solid.
-TEXAS STATE AT ORAL ROBERTS. I’m not going to declare Oral Roberts a great team just yet, but to date they have a nice win at Tulsa and they hung with Kansas State.
-WEBER STATE AT COLORADO STATE. Both could potentially have big years, but neither has a win yet.
-CANISIUS AT SAINT BONAVENTURE. Not sure what to make of Saint Bonaventure, but Canisius is a team that many believe to be one of the front-runners in the MAAC. It will be interesting to see what they can do on the road in this one.
-SOUTH CAROLINA UPSTATE AT TENNESSEE. I think this is a good Tennessee team despite their loss at Xavier earlier in the week. USC Upstate is good as well, but they had to sweat it out against what appears to be a very weak Virginia Tech team. If they can get a win today it would likely end up being a solid win for their NCAA Tournament resume. Since it would be their second win against a “brand name” team, it should get them some national attention as well.
-SAINT FRANCIS U AT DAYTON. I don’t think either team is that good, but as of now both are 2-0.
-HAWAII AT MISSOURI. A win for Missouri will get them to 3-0.
-CREIGHTON AT SAINT JOSEPH’S. I’m not that big on Saint Joe’s, but I will be if they can pull off a win in this game. Both teams come in at 2-0.
-GEORGE WASHINGTON AT MANHATTAN. Manhattan started things off with a win at La Salle, and although at the time it looked like an underwhelming win at Columbia, after last night it’s looking a little better. They have a very weak schedule, so their margin for error is small. GW comes into this game 2-0, but they beat up on two cupcakes so this is their first real test.
-MINNESOTA AT RICHMOND. I’m big on Richmond although no one else really is. If they’re good, then they should be able to beat a mediocre team at home. Minnesota does come into the game 2-0 and did manhandle a pretty decent Montana team, but this is their first real test.
-WISCONSIN AT GREEN BAY. Wisconsin has looked good in their first two games. Green Bay is believed to be the best team in the Horizon League and they’ve got a chance to take on a heavyweight in-state opponent at home. This one should be fun.
-PRINCETON AT BUTLER. Both teams come in 1-0.
-SAINT LOUIS AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. I’ve been downplaying SLU, but a win does get them to 3-0.
-DRAKE AT SAINT MARY’S. I really like what this SMC team has done in their first three games. I think we’ll be seeing them in the top 25 at some point this year. The voters just need to figure out how good they are first.
-VIRGINIA AT DAVIDSON. Davidson should be a front-runner in the SoCon, but they were absolutely crushed by Duke in their first game and are likely over matched again today.
BUY GAMES
-Tennessee State at Wichita State. A win gets the Shockers to 3-0.
-Appalachian State at Cincinnati. A win gets the Bearcats to 3-0.
-Siena at La Salle. A win puts La Salle at 2-1.
-Marist at Providence. A win for Providence gets them to 3-0.