With David Griggs not available for the daily writeup today (and chances are good that Chad is having to bail the Puppet out of jail at an undisclosed location), it falls upon our colleague John Stalica to do today’s writeup.
Not a whole lot of surprises were expected yesterday, but Bryant threw a major wrench into those plans. The Bulldogs came into play yesterday 1-3 with their only victory being against non-D1 Fisher by a 140-79 score. They went from having no Division 1 wins to getting a 62-53 win against #10 Florida Atlantic on the road. If Bryant follows this up with a win at Xavier on Friday, we’re going to have to start paying close attention to Bryant (even if it’s just to challenge Vermont in the America East). As for FAU, losing a home buy game is really inadvisable considering their next four games are against Butler, Liberty, Charleston and Illinois.
In the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic in the Mohegan Sun Arena we saw Mississippi State beat Washington State 76-64 and Northwestern beat Rhode Island 72-61 to advance to today’s championship round.
Columbia also came into yesterday lacking a win against a D1 opponent, but they were able to surprise Temple with a 78-73 victory at the Liacouras Center. This serves more as a reminder that Temple is in a rebuilding mode with a new coach and revamped roster.
Princeton cruised to an 82-57 victory at Monmouth yesterday. The Tigers have one more game at Old Dominion this week before they finally get to play a home game over the weekend against Northeastern. We may be on the verge of seeing Princeton cracking the Top 25 rankings pretty soon.
Penn is all over the place. One minute they’re losing a Big 5 game at Saint joe’s and the next minute they’re beating a Top 25 Villanova team at the Palestra. Yesterday they wound up losing in overtime to Maryland-Eastern Shore. If anything, the Quakers are night and day different away from the friendly confines of the Palestra.
Weber State started out the Atlantic Slam in Canada with a 1-point loss at Gardner-Webb on Friday, but they rebounded yesterday with a solid 75-65 win against Yale. The Wildcats now get an opportunity today against Colgate to get another signature win for a program that now looks like a serious contender in the Big Sky.
As for today’s games, we start with the bracketed MTE events – you can also follow along HERE throughout the day for up-to-the-date results (all times are Eastern):
MYRTLE BEACH INVITATIONAL
5th place – Wyoming v. Furman (10:30 AM, ESPNU) – Furman lost their tournament opener to Liberty but rebounded with what was actually a road win against Coastal Carolina; keep in mind that the tournament is being played at Coastal’s gym. Wyoming is coming off of a win against Charleston after losing their opener against Saint Louis.
7th place – Coastal Carolina v. Charleston (1:00 PM, ESPN+) – What a difference a year makes for the Charleston Cougars; last year, they jump-started their season by winning the Charleston Classic on their home court. Now they need to win what amounts to a road game to avoid going 0-3 in a MTE.
Championship – Vermont v. Liberty (5:30 PM, ESPN2) – This is also our UTR Game of the Day. Both teams have a major showcase opportunity on national TV that they typically don’t get until Championship Week in March.
3rd place – Saint Louis v. Wichita State (8:00 PM, ESPN2) – Saint Louis had a major setback by losing their top scorer indefinitely during one of the games earlier in this tournament; they will be going up against a Shockers team that lost to Liberty on Friday night.
CHARLESTON CLASSIC
7th place – North Texas v. Towson (12:30 PM, ESPN+) – The Mean Green of North Texas are a team in rebuilding mode after Grant McCasland took the job at Texas Tech; they lost to both St. John’s and LSU to end up in the 7th place game. Towson will be looking for at least one victory themselves after losses to Houston and Wake Forest back on Thursday and Friday.
5th place – LSU v. Wake Forest (3:00 PM, ESPN2) – After LSU blew a 15-point lead in their opener against Dayton, the Tigers held on to beat North Texas in their next game on Friday. Wake lost to Utah in their opener before beating Towson on Friday. Now both teams have an opportunity to what will probably amount to a Tier 2/Tier 3 neutral-court win on their respective resumes.
3rd place – St. John’s v. Utah (5:30 PM, ESPN) – St. John’s is coming off of a disappointing week where they were blown out at home against Michigan and also had a tough loss against Dayton on Friday. Utah was actually competitive against Houston in their semifinal loss, so there is an opportunity for the Utes to get another notable win in this tournament.
Championship – Dayton v. Houston (8:00 PM, ESPN) – The Flyers have adjusted to life without Malachi Smith with wins against LSU and St. John’s in this tournament so far; Houston was expected to win this event and thus far have held their end up. However, this will feel like a road game since the Flyers have a huge fan presence (including band and cheerleaders) at this event.
BAHAMAS CHAMPIONSHIP
3rd place – Georgia v. Providence (12:30 PM, CBSSN) – Providence had a tough overtime loss to Kansas State and will be looking to salvage one win out of this event. Georgia has had a somewhat tough schedule to date with losses against Oregon and Miami on neutral courts, but they do have a win against Wake Forest so far.
Championship – Miami v. Kansas State (3:00 PM, CBSSN) – Miami beat Georgia by 12 in their opener; they are the favorites on paper to win this event. But K-State will not be a pushover as they demonstrated against Providence on Friday.
PARADISE JAM (Semifinal Rounds)
Fordham v. Abilene Christian (5:45 PM, ESPN+) – Fordham knocked off Norfolk State in their opener; Abilene Christian scored a mild upset against San Jose State to advance to the championship half of the Paradise Jam Bracket.
Kent State v. Missouri State (8:15 PM, ESPN+) – Kent State breezed past Hampton in their opener; Missouri State had a closer contest against Florida Gulf Coast to advance to the semis. Kent State would appear to be the favorite to win this event.
CONTINTENTAL TIRE MAIN EVENT
3rd place – Xavier v. Saint Mary’s (7:30 PM, ESPN+) – Xavier had a bit of a setback with their loss against Washington; they were doomed by bad foul shooting and turnovers. Like the Musketeers, Saint Mary’s is on a 2-game losing streak with losses against Weber State and their tournament opener against San Diego State. Even in a 3rd place game, this would be a metrics boost for whoever wins this game.
Championship – Washington v. San Diego State (10:00 PM, ESPN2) – San Diego State looks to be the clear favorite to win this event after breezing past the Gaels in their opener, but Washington rebounded nicely after a home loss to Nevada earlier in the week. This is a big opportunity for the Huskies and the Pac-12 to make some early season noise.
ARIZONA TIP-OFF (CACTUS DIVISION)
3rd place – San Francisco v. DePaul (4:30 PM, CBSSN) – While it wasn’t a road game for the Dons, they probably felt outnumbered in Grand Canyon’s hometown in their loss on Friday. They have a much more winnable opportunity against a DePaul team that is still trying to figure things out for their team.
Championship – Grand Canyon v. South Carolina (7:00 PM, CBSSN) – Again, this is a de facto home tournament for the ‘Lopes as they take on a South Carolina team that beat DePaul in their tournament opener on Friday night.
HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF
Championship – Mississippi State v. Northwestern (1:00 PM, ESPN2) – Northwestern began to get on the map around this time last year after a close loss against Auburn in the Cancun Challenge. However, they’re going up against a Mississippi State team that will be a slight favorite in this one. The Bulldogs knocked off Washington State in their opener.
3rd place – Washington State v. Rhode Island (3:30 PM, ESPNU) – Rhode Island may have a slight homecourt advantage in this game; their campus is not too far from the Mohegan Sun where this tournament is being held. Not much else to see here.
CAYMAN ISLANDS CLASSIC (Quarterfinals)
Oakland v. Drake (11:00 AM, FloHoops) – Drake is one of the favorites in this bracket to advance to the championship game. Oakland started their season with losses against Ohio State and Illinois (and nearly beat the Buckeyes), but got their first win of the season against Bowling Green.
Loyola Marymount v. Stephen F Austin (1:30 PM, FloHoops) – This is a matchup of one-time NCAA Tournament darlings; the Lions are coming off of a season in which they were able to get regular-season wins against Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s in the WCC. The Lumberjacks are coming off of a blowout win against former conference foe Northwestern State.
Marshall v. Utah State (5:00 PM, FloHoops) – This could potentially be the highest-scoring game in this tournament. Both teams are also reshuffling the decks after roster turnover from last season.
Florida International v. Akron (7:30 PM, FloHoops) – Akron is one of the favorites in the MAC this season and likely the favorite to advance to the championship round of this tournament. They should probably breeze in what will amount to a free buy game against FIU.
EMPIRE CLASSIC (Semifinals)
UConn v. Indiana (1:00 PM, ESPN) – This is the showcase event today as far as power conferences go; Indiana will also be playing a de facto road game in MSG (aka Storrs South whenever UConn is present) today. UConn is without a starter (Stephon Castle) today, so the Huskies aren’t going to be at full strength for a few weeks.
Texas v. Louisville (3:30 PM, ESPN) – A free buy game for Texas. Enough said.
JACKSONVILLE CLASSIC – COAST BRACKET (Semifinals)
George Mason v. Charlotte (5:30 PM) – I highlight this only because you can see the games at passtheballlive.com throughout this event.
South Dakota State v. Central Florida (8:00 PM) – All four games in Jacksonville have streaming at the above link, although this game will likely determine who wins this event. South Dakota State will have a greater sense of urgency to add some wins of note.
JACKSONVILLE CLASSIC – BAY BRACKET (Semifinals)
Utah Valley v. Southern Miss (12:00 PM) – A case should be made that Southern Miss actually belongs in the upper half of this event, but alas they are the likely favorites to win the Bay Bracket instead.
Cal State Fullerton v. Cornell (2:30 PM) – I highlight this only because you can see the games at passtheballlive.com throughout this event.
OTHER GAMES OF NOTE
Boise State at Clemson (1:00 PM, ESPN+) – Boise State already has a win against San Francisco this year; Clemson is coming off of a championship in the Asheville MTE last weekend.
Loyola-Maryland at UMBC (1:00 PM, ESPN+) – Does Baltimore have a mythical conference for their 5 teams that also include Towson, Coppin State and Morgan State? The Crabcake Cup, perhaps?
Weber State v. Colgate (Atlantic Slam) – This is the final game of a nonbracketed MTE for both teams; has the shock of Colgate’s collapse against Syracuse worn off yet?
Northern Kentucky at Cincinnati (2:00 PM, ESPN+) – This is the final game of a 2-for-1 series between the two teams that originated as part of a deal where UC played at NKU’s arena while Fifth Third Arena underwent a major renovation. The Norse won last year against the Bearcats on their home court.
Wofford at Virginia Tech (5:00 PM, ESPN+) – A game between Mike Young’s former team and Mike Young’s current team. Slight chance of an upset here.
Portland State v. St. Thomas (5:30 PM) – This is the 3rd game of the nonbracketed Lancer Joust MTE; Portland State had a victory against California Baptist on Friday night on a half-court shot. They followed that up with a win against Cal Poly yesterday.