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FRIDAY, NOV 13TH
-BELMONT AT MARQUETTE (***Spotlight Game***). On the surface this may not look like much, but Belmont returns a ton from last year’s team that finished strong and made the NCAA Tournament. If they want an at-large bid, this is the kind of game they need to win, and I think it’s the kind of game they’re capable of winning. Marquette should be much improved, and this is a good test for them to see if they actually are.
-SFA AT BAYLOR (***Spotlight Game***). Baylor is a good team, and beating them at home is a very tall order, but SFA’s schedule is so weak that they really do need to win a game like this if they want any shot at an at-large, and this appears to be the best game on SFA’s schedule. If they win this one, they’ll have a chance. If they don’t, then they pretty much need to win the rest of them.
-PORTLAND STATE AT GRAND CANYON. Your Lopes ladies and gentlemen!! The Lopes are the Team of the People!! They open what we feel can turn out to be their best season since moving up to div1 tonight, and you can watch your Lopes live by CLICKING HERE!! They’re one of the best teams in the WAC, but are ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to being a transitional program. They need a waiver!! Tweet at the NCAA!! Emaill the NCAA! Call the NCAA! Let’s make this happen!! #LopesWaiver
-VERMONT AT EASTERN MICHIGAN. Highlighted only because it is the first official game of the 2015-2016 season, and the winner will be leading all of college basketball for a few short hours!!!
-COLORADO VS IOWA STATE (Souix Falls, SD). We feel Iowa State will contend for a high seed. We’re not expecting much out of Colorado, but a win in a game like this can catapult them a long way in a hurry. I don’t know why this game is in Sioux Falls.
-PITTSBURGH AT GONZAGA (Okinawa, Japan). Twelve hour flights make me want to ram my head against the wall. This is about an eighteen hour flight for both teams. We feel Gonzaga will contend for a high seed and that Pitt will struggle to make the field. This would be a huge win on Pitt’s profile and really change the complexion of their season if they’re able to pull it of.
-NORTH CAROLINA VS TEMPLE (Annapolis, MD). I’m expecting this one to end badly for Temple. UNC is ranked #1, and I don’t feel they’re overrated.
-SIENA AT DUKE. I realize this is a buy game, but it’s interesting enough to be with the highlights because Siena is a potential sleeper in the MAAC. That being said, this is probably way too tall of an order.
-CHATTANOOGA AT GEORGIA. Another buy game with higher than buy game interest. Chattanooga is our pick to win the SoCon, and if they want to do the seemingly impossible and land inside the bubble, these are the kinds of games they need to win. Georgia is a team that we think will make the tournament. Well, some of us think that, anyway. It should be a fun matchup.
-UTRVG @ MIAMI FL. A huge mismatch of a game, but we highlight it so we can officially welcome UTVRG into existence!!! We’re not just merely welcoming them to div1. We’re welcoming them into existing as a basketball program!!
-JAMES MADISON AT RICHMOND. James Madison is really good this year, and some of us feel they can land inside the bubble. Richmond isn’t exactly a world beater, but they are likely a challenging team to go on the road and beat. But, it’s the kind of game that an at-large team is expected to be able to win, so JMU will be tested right out of the gate.
-NORTHEASTERN AT BOSTON U. Hoops HD is collectively not as big on Northeastern as I am. I think they can be an at-large team. But, to do that they need to win on the road, and they certainly need to do it against teams of the caliber of Boston U (no offense, but BU is not exactly an at-large caliber team). I hope they don’t embarrass me because if they do, I’ll not soon hear the end of it.
-NORTH FLORIDA AT ILLINOIS. We believe North Florida to be the best team in the Atlantic Sun and Illinois to be below the middle of the standings in a very strong Big Ten. That makes for a potentially interesting game.
-WILLIAM & MARY AT NC STATE. A really good game here between two tournament hopefuls. I like this William & Mary team, and a win tonight would be hugely important to their profile and to their at-large chances. Many think they’re an outside shot at best, but that will start to change if they can get wins in games like this.
-NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT UC DAVIS. This may seem like an odd game to highlight, but I like this NDSU team, and could see them ending up around the bubble if they win the games they’re supposed to. That would include this one, BTW.
-UTAH STATE AT WEBER STATE. Utah State is one of the Hoops HD sleepers. Starting things off with a win on the road against a rival would be huge.
-WOFFORD AT MISSOURI. Not only can Wofford win this game, I expect them to.
-BOISE STATE AT MONTANA. Boise is a team that most of us are expecting to land inside the bubble. Whenever you open the season on the road in a game like this it’s an early test, but it’s a chance to get a road win on their profile against a team that will likely be strong at home this year, and although that doesn’t set the world on fire, it is at least noteworthy when looking at a team’s profile.
-UAB AT AUBURN. An intriguing in-state match up between two tournament hopefuls. This game is probably bigger for UAB seeing as how they have far fewer chances on their schedule to pick up quality wins. I’d go so far to say that even though it’s the season opener it has a huge sense of urgency to it for UAB since they have so few chances. The media isn’t as big on Auburn as we are, but it wouldn’t shock me at all to see them inside the bubble come March.
-ILLINOIS STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE. Illinois State appears to be around the middle of the Missouri Valley, but some of us feel they are a potential sleeper. If they can pull off a win like this in their season opener, they won’t be a sleeper anymore.
-TEXAS AT WASHINGTON (Shanghai, China). Shaka Smart officially makes his debut at Texas!! And he’s going half way around the world to do it!!
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH
-COLORADO STATE AT NORTHERN IOWA. Both teams are in big time rebuilding mode and I’m not expecting much out of either one, but it’s a slow day and one of these teams is gonna start off with a win.
-HARVARD AT PROVIDENCE. The thing about the Ivy League is that the teams don’t need to play their way inside of the bubble in case they lose in the conference tournament because their is no conference tournament, so the same sense of urgency isn’t quite there in November and December. But, this is a game between a tournament hopeful who could end up hovering around the #12 line in Harvard, and a likely tournament team in Providence. The styles are contrasting, so this one should be fun.
-UCF AT DAVIDSON. I don’t think this is a buy game, but I do think it is a rather big mismatch and may end up looking like one. Davidson should roll.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH
-WAKE FOREST AT BUCKNELL. Kind of an odd road game for a Wake team that should be much improved this year.
-IONA AT VALPARAISO. Most casual fans won’t think of it this way, but this is a great game between what we believe to be the best team in the MAAC in Iona, and what we believe to be a potential at-large caliber team in Valpo. If Iona can pull off the win, it could be a bigger win on their profile than what most people currently realize. Both teams are good.
-NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT ILLINOIS. I like this North Dakota State team, and it’ll be interesting to see what they can do against Illinois. It’s a big opening weekend for the Bison.
BUY GAMES (Brought to you by Hostess)
-Northwestern State @ Ole Miss (Friday)
-Wagner @ Saint John’s (Friday). The Johnnies looked so bad in their first exhibition game that it wouldn’t shock me if they lost.
-Niagara @ Old Dominion (Friday). I like ODU, but they have a somewhat smaller margin for error.
-North Carolina A&T @ Purdue (Friday)
-Albany @ Kentucky (Friday). For buy game standards, this one isn’t bad. Albany is one of the better teams in the America East, but they’re punching way over their heads in this one.
-Northern Kentucky @ West Virginia (Friday)
-Prairie View A&M @ VCU (Friday)
-Western Carolina @ Cincinnati (Friday)
-Mount Saint Mary’s at Maryland (Friday)
-Morgan State at Virginia (Friday). Virginia plays very few cupcakes. This is one of them.
-Southeast Missouri @ Dayton (Friday)
-Northern Michigan (nondiv1) @ Michigan (Friday). Why??
-UNC Asheville @ Tennessee (Friday)
-Lehigh @ Syracuse (Friday)
-Eastern Illinois @ Indiana (Friday)
-Florida Atlantic @ Michigan State (Friday)
-Samford @ Louisville (Friday)
-Fairleigh Dickinson @ Villanova (Friday)
-Miami OH @ Xavier (Friday)
-Sacramento State @ Arizona State (Friday). The Curtain of Distraction!!!!
-Maine @ UConn (Friday)
-Saint Francis U @ Notre Dame (Friday)
-Northern Colorado @ Kansas (Friday)
-Tennessee Martin @ Oklahoma State (Friday)
-UMass Lowell @ Northwestern (Friday)
-Charleston Southern @ Wichita State (Friday)
-UMBC @ Wake Forest (Friday)
-American @ Rhode Island (Friday). Rhody is one of the better teams in the A10 this year.
-Austin Peay at Vanderbilt (Friday)
-UTSA @ Loyola Chicago (Friday). I think Loyola was much improved last year, and even more improved this year.
-Kennesaw State @ Alabama (Friday). The Avery Johnson era begins at Bama
-IPFW @ Valparaiso (Friday)
-Utah Valley @ BYU (Friday)
-McNeese State @ LSU (Friday)
-Western Illinois @ Wisconsin (Friday)
-Eastern Washington @ Mississippi State (Friday)
-Pacific @ Arizona (Friday)
-Chadron State (nondiv1) @ South Dakota State. SDSU is a good team, but they’re not exactly swinging for the fences in their opener.
-Pepperdine @ Fresno State (Friday)
-Jackson State @ Oregon (Friday)
-Southern Utah @ Utah (Friday)
-Monmouth @ UCLA (Friday)
-Rice @ California (Friday)
-Northwest Christian @ Oregon State (Saturday)
-Radford @ Georgetown (Saturday)
-Central Arkansas @ Tulsa (Saturday)
-Norfolk State @ South Carolina (Saturday)
-The Citadel @ Butler (Saturday)
-NJIT @ Kentucky (Saturday)
-Bryant @ Duke (Saturday)
-Mount Saint Mary’s @ Ohio State (Sunday)
-Vermont @ Purdue (Sunday)
-Robert Morris @ Cincinnati (Sunday)
-Nicholls State @ Florida State (Sunday)
-Southeast Missouri @ Evansville (Sunday)
-Fairfield @ North Carolina (Sunday)
-Coppin State @ Iowa (Sunday)
-South Alabama @ NC State (Sunday)
-Siena @ Wisconsin (Sunday)
-Cal Poly @ UCLA (Sunday)
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