HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!! On days like today we all need to step back and remember what it is that’s really important. And what’s really important…IS COLLEGE BASKETBALL!!
NEWS AND NOTES
-Maine scored just 26 points in their game at Virginia, but somehow still managed to cover the spread. I wonder how many teams throughout history have failed to score 30pts, but still covered the spread?
-The game of the day…was NOT Maine vs Virginia. It was Dayton vs Kansas in the Maui Invitational Championship game. It may have been the game of the season s far. After watching Dayton dismantle both Georgia and Virginia Tech, we knew they were good. Kansas had to play their best game of the season so far to beat them in overtime, and they were lucky that they held on to do it. Late in regulation Dayton took a 66-58 lead, but Kansas made a defensive adjustment going to a zone, which made it harder for Dayton to score in the paint. An 11-0 run put Kansas up by 3 and it stayed close after that. Dayton hit a deep 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime, but Kansas went on to win in a thriller. Both teams played fantastic defense and shot the ball well. It was as good as I’ve seen any two teams to play this year, and this will likely be a notable win for Kansas as they contend for a #1 seed. As for Dayton, you kind of hate that they played so well in this event, but didn’t get any monster wins, only decent wins against Virginia Tech and Georgia who may simply turn out to be NIT-ish caliber teams. They will have chances later on in the season, but they are somewhat limited as the Atlantic Ten, while good, doesn’t have the number of high caliber teams that the Big 12 has. Still, this Dayton team is legit. I think they should be ranked in the top 15 (or perhaps higher) despite the fact that they didn’t get the win.
-Oregon trailed Seton Hall for most of the game, but managed to come back and get the lead in the final seconds, and then hold on to win. It was two ranked teams and they did not disappoint. Oregon faces Gonzaga today in another game that should be a lot of fun.
-Ole Miss handed Penn State their first loss in what was another exciting game. They also had to come from behind to do it. Neither of these teams were ranked, but it wouldn’t shock me to see both of them inside the bubble come March.
-Bradley handed Kansas State their second loss of the season in the Fort Myers Tip-Off. A nice win for Bradley, but a rather underwhelming showing in this event for K State.
-George Mason held on to beat an injured but still improving New Mexico State team to win the Cayman Islands Classic and improve to 8-1 on the year. They are one of many teams to keep an eye on in the Atlantic Ten this year.
-West Virginia kept Wichita State at arms length for pretty much the entire game to remain unbeaten and win the Cancun Challenge. I really like this West Virginia team, and they now have what should turn out to be two decent neutral floor wins on their resume.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-MARYLAND VS TEMPLE (Orlando Invitational). Both teams come into this one unbeaten, and both already have a smattering of decent wins with Temple winning out at USC and Maryland knocking off Rhode Island and George Mason. This is another potentially resume building opportunity, not to mention the chance to get on the winners side of the bracket and have (most likely) other better opportunities in this event.
-TEXAS A&M VS HARVARD (Orlando Invitational). Texas A&M is rebuilding, and although they come in 3-1 they really haven’t passed any tests yet. Harvard was a team that we were really big on coming into the year, but up until now just hasn’t performed. Maybe a strong showing in this tournament could snap them out of it.
-NORTH CAROLINA VS MICHIGAN (Battle 4 Atlantis). Neither team has a loss yet. North Carolina comes into this game ranked really high whereas not as much was expected from Michigan. If the Wolverines were to win this, it would firmly catapult them onto the national scene and have people looking at them as a tournament caliber team.
-PROVIDENCE VS LONG BEACH STATE (Wooden Legacy). Providence has been somewhat of a disappointment this year, but if they were to do well in this event it could begin to turn their season around.
-OREGON VS GONZAGA (Battle 4 Atlantis). This should be a really fun one this afternoon between two highly ranked teams that could end up as protected seeds. Oregon already has wins away from home against Memphis and Seton Hall, whereas Gonzaga is still looking for their first really big win of the year. They have that opportunity today.
-NC SATE VS MEMPHIS (Barclay’s Center Classic). Memphis is coming off of a good win against Ole Miss and is just trying to hang on until they can get back to full strength later in the year. NC State hasn’t lost since the season opener, but they haven’t been tested like this either.
-USC VS FAIRFIELD (Orlando Invitational). This appears to be a huge mismatch. USC just needs to make sure they don’t slip up.
-WAKE FORST VS CHARLESTON (Wooden Legacy). Charleston was a team we thought would be good this year, but they haven’t exactly set the world on fire yet. This event is a good chance for them to build up their resume.
-DAVIDSON VS MARQUETTE (Orlando Invitational). Davidson is off to a somewhat pitiful 2-3 start, and this was a team that we thought would contend in the Atlantic Ten and land inside the bubble. This event does give them the chance to get things turned around in a hurry. It’s a resume building opportunity for Marquette as well.
-ALABAMA VS IOWA STATE (Battle 4 Atlantis). Both of these teams are looking to bounce back after a loss yesterday and pick up a decent neutral floor win.
-TEXAS TECH VS IOWA (Las Vegas Invitational). Texas Tech comes in at 5-0, but this is hands down their biggest test of the year so far. Having said that, Iowa’s only wins have been buy games, so the winner of this game will be winning their first non-buy game.
-UCF VS PENN (Wooden Legacy). UCF is out to a respectable 3-1 start and Penn has been a little schizophrenic, but they do have wins over Alabama and Providence on the road. If they can play well in this tournament then we may have to start thinking of Penn as a solid tournament team.
-SETON HALL VS SOUTHERN MISS (Battle 4 Atlantis). Seton Hall shouldn’t have any trouble today. The problem is that this win isn’t exactly the kind of win that jumps out at the committee, so they just need to hold serve to get a chance at a decent win tomorrow.
-SAN DIEGO STATE VS CREIGHTON (Las Vegas Invitational). San Diego State is off to an impressive 6-0 start and has a chance to continue to build up their resume in this event. Creighton is a respectable 4-1, but up until now they’ve really just won buy games. This event is a chance for them to add some quality wins to their resume.
-PEPPERDINE VS ARIZONA (Wooden Legacy). This game appears to be a mismatch as Arizona is unbeaten and ranked in the teens, whereas Pepperdine…well..isn’t. If Arizona can hold serve they should get some opportunities at quality wins in the later rounds.