NEWS AND NOTES:
For our latest UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast, where we review a very busy first week of the season and look ahead to a lot of big games this week – CLICK HERE
-Princeton got a 70-67 win at Duquesne in what was the game of the night both on paper, and perhaps on the court. Princeton led throughout, but Duquesne was never out of it and actually had a chance to win all the way down to the final seconds. Almost no one is on the Duquesne bandwagon yet, and everyone is referencing this loss as evidence that they aren’t actually that good. While you would expect a top 40ish team to be able to win a game like this at home, Princeton also won at Rutgers and no one is slamming Rutgers as being hot garbage just yet. I’m not giving up on Duquesne! If anything, this game has made me more in on Princeton.
Other than that, while there were some decent games to watch, the night was pretty chalky.
-For the brackets to all the In Season Tournaments, which have already gotten underway – CLICK HERE
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-CHARLESTON VS VERMONT (Myrtle Beach Invitational). These are two top level UTR programs that are expected to have big years. This event is a chance for them to pick up some notable wins for their resume, which they’re going to need if they’re wanting to make a run at the bubble.
-SAINT JOHN’S VS NORTH TEXAS (Charleston Classic). I don’t think either of these teams will end up being tournament teams, but North Texas is off to a 2-0 start with a win over a pretty good Northern Iowa team, so this event is a chance to really make their resume look good early.
-SAINT LOUIS AT WYOMING (Myrtle Beach Invitational). Both teams come in without a loss. It’s a unique match-up in a unique setting and a chance for both of them to build up decent wins away from home!
-DAYTON VS LSU (Charleston Classic). We liked this Dayton team coming into the year, but they’ve already had to go through some setbacks. LSU is also off to a sluggish start. A strong showing in this event would get both teams out of the blocks early, though.
-WICHITA STATE AT COASTAL CAROLINA (Myrtle Beach Invitational). Our expectations for both these teams coming into the year were…well…low, but to date neither team has a loss and Wichita State in particular has looked better than expected.
-HOUSTON VS TOWSON (Charleston Classic). Towson appears to be hugely overmatched in this one. I think they’ll have a pretty decent year once they get into CAA play, and could win a couple of games in this event, but this Houston team just has a stupid amount of talent and should roll today, and perhaps roll through the whole tournament.
-OKLAHOMA STATE VS SAINT BONAVENTURE (Legends Classic, Brooklyn NY). This is a very liberal use of the words “legends” and “classic.” Both teams might have some potential, but neither is expected to do much this season, and both have already dropped losses in home buy games.
-FURMAN VS LIBERTY (Myrtle Beach Invitational). Both teams come into this unbeaten and both have high expectations for the season. This is the kind of UTR match-up that you like to see. It’s not only a chance for a single quality win, but a chance to get on the winners’ side of the bracket and have more opportunities at quality wins throughout the event. As early as it is in the season, you get the sense that this is a stakes game with a pivotal feel to it.
-MISSOURI AT MINNESOTA. Mizzou has suffered a loss to Memphis already, but that’s hardly a bad loss. This is a game they should win despite the fact that it’s a road game.
-AUBURN VS NOTRE DAME (Legends Classic, Brooklyn NY). Auburn clearly looks like the superior team here and should win without too much trouble. Both teams have suffered a loss, but ND’s was at home to Western Carolina and Auburn’s was a hard fought neutral floor game against Baylor.
-UMASS LOWELL AT ARIZONA STATE. This is a buy game, but Arizona State better not overlook UMass Lowell. They come into this at 3-0 with wins at both Dartmouth and Georgia Tech, and are suddenly looking like the frontrunners in the America East. Arizona State didn’t exactly bury Texas Southern in their last game, and they could be in for a long season.
-UTAH VS WAKE FOREST (Charleston Classic). I still really like this Wake Forest team, but must admit that they havent’t exactly shown out this season yet, and are coming into this game after a loss at Georgia, who isn’t exactly expected to be good. Still, this event is a chance for them to get things turned around quickly. They should beat Utah today, but Utah did blow through both of their buy games so far, and this event is a chance for them to get some notable wins as well.
BUY GAMES AND OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Presbyterian @ North Florida – Presby is unbeaten and looking for their second road win
-Wright State @ Indiana
-Texas Southern @ Virginia
-TAMUCC @ Texas Tech
-Chicago State @ Southern Illinois – Salukis can get to 3-0
-UT Arlington @ New Mexico – UTA is 2-0, but this is their first road game