Under the Radar Game of the Day: Northeastern at Kent State (and other Highlighted Games)

Northeastern at Kent State, 7:00 PM Eastern, espn3

After opening the season with wins over Boston University and non-D1 Wentworth, the Northeastern Huskies dropped four straight games, including going 0-2 against Utah State and Furman in their exempt event (the non-bracketed portion of the PK80 tournament).  Three of the next four scheduled games were against teams that were among the best preseason rated Under the Radar schools — Harvard, Bucknell and Vermont.  The Huskies entered that stretch at 2-4 overall and left it at 6-4, sweeping those three and defeating Cornell as well.  At least three players scored in double digits in each of the wins, showing that this team has depth and talent capable of making some serious noise in the Colonial this season.

Tonight, the Northeastern Huskies head back out on the road, travelling to Kent State.  The Golden Flashes, who won last year’s MAC Tournament before falling to UCLA in the Round of 64, are off to a slow 5-5 start on the season including a loss at Wright State this past weekend.  Danny Pippen did have a double-double in the losing effort, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.  The Golden Flashes need to turn things around a bit as they head towards conference play, while Northeastern is looking to continue their hot streak, in what has all the markings of a game that could come right down to the wire.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-BOISE STATE AT SMU.  Both teams have good records, and Boise has picked up some pretty solid wins, but they have to keep that up if they want to land inside the bubble.  Neither team is in the position of being able to put it on cruise control.  Both teams are solid and it should be a fun game to watch.

-UT ARLINGTON AT CREIGHTON.  UTA is a good team, and although I’m not expecting them to pull off the upset at Creighton, I also don’t think it is entirely outside the realm of possibility.  Whatever slim at-large hopes they have depends on it.

BUY GAMES

-Houston Baptist @ Michigan State
-Omaha @ Kansas
-Charleston Southern @ Florida State
-Northern Illinois @ Maruqette
-Fort Wayne @ Indiana – Fort Wayne pulled off the win in Fort Wayne last year
-Nicholls @ Tulane
-IUPUI @ Gonzaga
-Texas Southern @ TCU
-North Dakota State @ Arizona
-Tennessee State @ Texas