NEWS AND NOTES
-For the UTR Game of the Day between Longwood and Charlotte – CLICK HERE
-Michigan State needs to be put in jail for the awful things they did to Tennessee Tech. 101-33.
-Virginia Tech and Purdue was a very exciting game where Purdue got the lead early, but VA Tech came back and got the win. I was impressed by both teams, and VA Tech showed that they can play with a good team away from home. I know playing in true road games is a different animal, but it is still a very good win for Uncle Buzz and the Hokies.
-Michigan is blowing out everyone they face. They blew past a fairly decent Providence team yesterday.
-Oklahoma picked up a fairly impressive and somewhat surprising (at least to me) home win against Wofford yesterday. Either the Sooners are better than I thought, or Wofford isn’t quite as good, or it’s some combination of both.
-Arkansas got a big win against Indiana in one of the more exciting games of the year. Despite the loss, it was a gutty road performance by an IU team that looks to be better this year than they have in the last couple of years.
-UCF has rebounded from their loss to FAU. They beat Western Kentucky rather decisively yesterday to win the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
-Alabama is suddenly worth keeping an eye on. They improved to 4-1 with a nice win over Wichita State yesterday in the Charleston Classic.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-AKRON VS CLEMSON (Cayman Islands Classic). Both teams come into this game without a loss, and although Clemson clearly looks to like the superior team, winning a game like this and doing well in a tournament like this is the kind of thing that can propel teams like Akron onto the national stage.
-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE VS TULANE (Gulf Coast Showcase). South Dakota State is looking to rebound from a somewhat surprising (although only SOMEWHAT) loss at Gulf Coast. They need to rebound by doing well in this tournament.
-UTSA VS UC IRVINE (Gulf Coast Showcase). UCI is 4-0 with some pretty nice wins already. They can build on that by doing well in this event.
-ILLINOIS STATE VS GEORGIA (Cayman Islands Classic). Neither team has done much of anything yet, and doing well in this tournament is an opportunity for both teams to begin to build their resumes.
-AUBURN VS XAVIER (Maui Invitational). Auburn has looked very impressive this year, and this tournament will probably provide them with the kinds of opportunities they need to end up as a protected seed come March. It’s games against quality teams on a neutral floor. Xavier has a couple of buy game wins, but that’s about it. They haven’t looked all that impressive so far, but again this tournament is a chance for them to turn things around in a hurry.
-DUKE VS SAN DIEGO STATE (Maui Invitational). Duke is amazing and already seems to have the kind of resume that would indicate that they are a #1 seed. They look to be the favorites to win this tournament.
-SAINT BONAVENTURE VS GEORGIA STATE (Cayman Islands Classic). Georgia State is a good team that could really use some decent wins away from home.
-COLORADO STATE VS LOUISIANA (Gulf Coast Showcase). We aren’t all that excited about Colorado State, but they do come in to this event with a 3-0 record and have the chance to put some neutral floor wins on their resume.
-OREGON STATE VS PENN (Paradise Jam). Intriguing match-up between two teams that have already done a little something this year and are looking to do more.
-LOYOLA CHICAGO VS RICHMOND (Fort Meyers Tip-Off). Loyola Chicago doesn’t have much in the way of merit just yet, but they’re still a really good team that we need to keep an eye on and they should do well in this event.
-MISSOURI STATE VS NEBRASKA (Hall of Fame Classic). Both teams come in without a loss, and Nebraska does have a decisive home win against Seton Hall on their resume. It’s a chance for two teams that have some momentum built up to keep that momentum going.
-EASTERN MICHIGAN AT RUTGERS. Semi-intriguing game between a possible MAC frontrunner and a Rutgers team that is looking to build their program up.
-SAINT JOHN’S VS CALIFORNIA (Legends Classic). This game is at the Barclay’s Center, which is pretty much the Johnnies’ stomping ground. The Johnnies have won a few buy games, but don’t have a whole lot of substance on their resume just yet.
-MISSOURI AT KANSAS STATE (Paradise Jam). YES!!! YES!!! YESSSSSSSSSSS!! THE BORDER WAR IS BACK!!! WE’VE GOT…..oh wait. It’s Mizzou v Kansas State. Nevermind. This game sucks. Well, it doesn’t. K State comes in with a perfect record after sweating out a few games, and Mizzou is 3-1 and in search of their first real notable win, so it’s a good opportunity for both teams. BUT COMPARED TO THE REAL BORDER WAR, IT’S SUCKS!!!!
-BOISE STATE VS CREIGHTON (Cayman Islands Classic). These are two teams that are off to average starts that could benefit from some notable wins.
-FGCU VS TOLEDO (Gulf Coast Showcase). These are two UTR teams who both have some what notable wins under their belts already. It should be a good match-up tonight.
-LIBERTY AT VANDERBILT. This is essentially a buy game, but it’s a good opportunity for a Liberty team that comes in without a loss and who has a pretty decent win at Kent State. Vandy also has a nice win this year on the road at USC.
-HOWARD AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. Come March this game probably won’t mean anything, but as of now it’s the current MEAC frontrunner against a good SIU team that hasn’t quite built up their resume yet, but in all probability will by the end of the year.
-SAINT MARY’S VS UTAH STATE (MGM Resorts Main Event). This is a really good match-up between two teams that are currently unbeaten, and who both have some good things on their resume, but are looking to build on it.
-ARIZONA VS IOWA STATE (Maui Invitational). Both of these teams have their work cut out for them this year, but this tournament is an opportunity for both of them to get on the right track in a hurry.
-USC VS TEXAS TECH (Hall of Fame Classic). Texas Tech hasn’t really been tested yet, and USC failed their only test so far, but both teams have potential and this is a good early season game for both of them.
-TEMPLE VS VCU (Legends Classic). Both teams have shown the possibility of potential. It will be interesting to see what they do against each other, and what they do in the second game tomorrow.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE VS ARIZONA STATE (MGM Resorts Main Event). Both teams come in 3-0, but neither has been tested the way they are about to be in this event. Like so many early season tournament where the teams come in with nothing but buy game wins, it’ll be interesting to see how they do against one another.
-GONZAGA VS ILLINOIS (Maui Invitational). This is a very strong field, and Gonzaga could face up to two top ten opponents in this event! But, that won’t happen until the later games. They should blast an Illinois team that is still in the process of turning itself around.
BUY GAMES (and other games worth mentioning but not highlighting)
-Canisius @ Florida State
-Western Michigan @ Cincinnati
-NC A&T @ Marshall
-Prairie View A&M @ UNC Greensboro
-Saint Francis U @ North Carolina
-Northwestern State @ Houston
-Little Rock @ Tulsa – Tulsa can improve to 4-0
-UMBC vs South Dakota – UMBC can improve to 5-1
-Cal Poly @ Washington State
-Cal Baptist @ Nevada