Highlighted Games for Saturday, December 8th

Posted on December 8, 2012 by David Griggs

FRIDAY NIGHT

-VCU knocked off their old rivals Old Dominion to improve to 6-3. Iowa State vs Iowa was also a good game, and for the first time in a long time, it may turn out to be a meaningful game for both teams. Iowa led most of the game, but Iowa State did make several runs to keep themselves in it.

 

SATURDAY’S ACTION

 

SPOTLIGHT GAMES

-TEMPLE AT DUKE. Both teams are unbeaten. Duke has played a killer schedule, and while Temple’s has been tough, it hasn’t been nearly as tough as Duke’s. We should know a lot more about how good Temple really is when we see how they do on the road against what is currently the most accomplished team in the country.

-ILLINOIS AT GONZAGA. A great match up between two unbeaten teams who are high in the rankings. Both teams have been tested, but this is still probably the biggest test for either of them. If Gonzaga wants a #1 seed, they probably need this one because they don’t go through a gauntlet in conference play the way Illinois does. Having said that, though, if the Zags do get the win, you have to think that they’re good enough to win out the regular season. That would definitely get them on the #1 line. They’ve got one really tough test after this, and it’s at Oklahoma State.

-COLORADO AT KANSAS. Colorado has looked great this season, but this is just their second true road game. They lost their only other one at Wyoming. Colorado already looks like a tournament team, but this is the kind of win that can help make a case that they are a protected seed. As for Kansas, despite being the home team, it would probably be their best win on the season to date.

-BUTLER AT NORTHWESTERN. We at Hoops HD are constantly on this bandwagon, and have vowed to not get on it this year. Having said that, if Northwestern can manage a win in this game and improve to 7-2, it looks like this could be the year Northwestern finally dances. For Butler, it would be their best true road win to date, so there is a lot to gain for both these teams.

 

OTHER ACTION

-ARKANSAS AT MICHIGAN. I was expecting Arkansas to have a big year, and I guess they still could, but they’re just 4-3 on the year, they lack big wins, and this is their first true road game. Michigan, on the other hand, looked to me to be overrated at the start of the season, but they’ve proven me wrong. They’re currently #3, and they’re playing like it.

-MURRAY STATE AT EVANSVILLE. Evansville is perhaps a dark horse in the Missouri Valley, and is tough to beat at home. It won’t likely turn out to be a huge quality win, but it will still likely be one of the better road wins Murray is able to manage, if they’re able to manage it.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT WEST VIRGINIA. It’s good to see these teams play in basketball, and the atmosphere should be electric as VA Tech comes in unbeaten. This is an old football rivalry that has been put on hold, and the feelings of dislike are still very apparent and it should be an intense atmosphere and a fun game to watch.

-WISCONSIN AT MARQUETTE. Big rivalry game between two teams that look to have potential and that are trying to establish their profiles. This one is important both on and off paper.

-UTAH AT BYU. This is another big rivalry game between two teams that have shown promise, but need to build up their profiles.

-ARIZONA AT CLEMSON. Arizona is high in the rankings, but really hasn’t had a tough test yet, so we should learn something about them today. Clemson has just two losses on the year, and this is only their third home game of the year. It’s a chance for them to get a momentum building win.

-NORTHERN IOWA AT GEORGE MASON. Both teams are good, but both teams need credentials on their profile and it is still too early in the season to say for certain if one or both of them is good enough to be in the discussion.

-MISSISSIPPI AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE. Ole Miss is 6-0 on the year, but this is by far their toughest test. Middle Tennessee is 6-2 and is good enough to be in the at-large discussion, but their margin for error is razor thin, so this is a high stakes game for them, as well as a test for Ole Miss.

-LOUISIANA TECH AT SOUTHERN MISS. Both teams have good records, but still have a lot of question marks and need some credentials. A lot of the time you can’t tell how big or important a game will end up being. This is one of those times. Will they both be inside the bubble, or will they both be irrelevant??

-WESTERN MICHIGAN AT ILLINOIS STATE. Similar story as above, although Illinois State has looked very good in games against Northwestern and Louisville. The problem is that they didn’t win either.

-COLORADO STATE AT ILLINOIS-CHICAGO. Again, similar story as above. This is a curious game because both teams have just one loss, but it’s hard to say for certain how good they actually are at this point.

-UCLA AT TEXAS. You get the sense that both these teams are trying to stay relevant, and losing this game will not help that cause.

-VALPO AT NEW MEXICO. Valpo is off to a 6-2 start and looks to be among the best in the Horizon League, but they are probably in way over their heads in this one.

-LOYOLA, IL AT MICHIGAN STATE. Loyola is off to a 6-2 start, but has no big quality wins to speak of. If they’re able to pull off the upset in this one it would certainly help boost their profile.

-KANSAS STATE AT GEORGE WASHINGTON. Kansas State is a quiet 6-1 on the year so far, but doesn’t have any notable wins. This would be their biggest so far.

-CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE AT ARIZONA STATE. With CS Northridge at 7-2 and Arizona State at 7-1, this is an early season game to keep an eye on.

-CLEVELAND STATE AT NC STATE. I’m not going to predict an upset, but I will say that Cleveland State is a decent team at 6—2 and NC State needs to be on upset alert.

-INDIANA STATE AT MOREHEAD STATE. Indiana State is 4-2 on the season and can pick up another road win today.

-AUSTIN PEAY AT MEMPHIS. Memphis has won three straight since struggling down in the Paradise Jam, and blew out a good Ohio team in their last game. A win in this will get them to 6-2.

-TOWSON AT GEORGETOWN. Towson won just one game a year ago, and is 4-4 on this season. I don’t see any way they win this one, though. The Hoyas have looked as good as anyone this season.

-TCU AT TULSA. Both teams have good records, but not much on their profiles as far as quality wins go.

-LONG BEACH STATE AT OHIO STATE. LBSU should make quite a bit of noise in the Big West, but they’re way overmatched today.

-CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT CHARLOTTE. Charlotte just picked up a big road win at Davidson and can stay unbeaten on the year if they can take care of business at home.

-PURDUE AT EASTERN MICHIGAN. Odd road game for Purdue, and at 4-4, it’s one they need if they want to resuscitate their profile. EMU is 5-2 on the year and unbeaten at home, so it won’t be a cakewalk.

-OAKLAND AT OHIO. Ohio has lost two straight, and needs to right their ship in a hurry if they want to be in the discussion for a tournament spot. Oakland should make quite a bit of noise in Summit League play, but it’s been a rough out of conference for them.

-LA SALLE AT NORTHEASTERN. La Salle hasn’t had a truly big test yet, but a win will get them to 6-1.

-RICHMOND AT JAMES MADISON. Richmond still likes to play many of their old CAA rivals. A win in this one will get them to an impressive 8-2.

-EASTERN KENTUCKY AT CHATTANOOGA. EKU is definitely untested, but a win does get them to 9-0.

-MISSOURI STATE AT OKLAHOMA STATE. Oklahoma State has just one loss on the year and shouldn’t have too much trouble in this one.

-MINNESOTA AT USC. Minnesota has been a surprise this year. Their only loss came to Duke, and they have really shot up the rankings.

-WOFFORD AT DAVIDSON (SoCon). Davidson’s margin for error is razor thin for the rest of the year if they want to be in the at-large discussion.

-UNC WILMINGTON AT GEORGIA TECH. A win will get the Jackets to a respectable 6-2.

-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA. A win for the Tarheels will get them to 7-2.

-PORTLAND AT KENTUCKY. Portland’s program is improving, but they’re most likely in over their heads in this one.

-MIAMI, OH AT DAYTON. Dayton just got a big win at Alabama, but this Miami team is a team they historically struggle with. They appear to be superior, but don’t be surprised if it isn’t a cakewalk.

-UMKC AT LOUISVILLE. Louisville has just one loss on the year and shouldn’t have too much trouble picking up this one.

-MONMOUTH AT SYRACUSE. Syracuse shouldn’t have any trouble staying unbeaten.

-NORTH FLORIDA AT PITT. Pitt has been very solid this year and a win will get them to 9-1.

-NORTHERN COLORADO AT WICHITA STATE. Wichita State is unbeaten and will likely stay that way.

-BROWN AT NOTRE DAME. The Irish has been better than expected and can improve to 8-1 with a win in this one.

-UMES AT CINCINNATI. UMES has not won, and Cincinnati has not lost.

-SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AT MARYLAND. Maryland can get to 8-1 with a win.

-LEHIGH AT SAINT FRANCIS, PA. Lehigh is lacking notable wins, but they can get to 8-2 on the year.

-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE AT VIRGINIA. Virginia is off to a quiet 7-2 start and shouldn’t have too much trouble winning today. They haven’t done much away from home yet, though, so it’s hard to get too excited about them just yet.

-GRAMBLING STATE AT OREGON STATE. A win gets Oregon State to 5-2. I think they have a lot of potential this year.

-IDAHO STATE AT OREGON. A win gets the Ducks to 8-1.

-IUPUI AT WESTERN KENTUCKY. A win gets WKU to 8-2 on the season.

-CENTRAL CONNECTICUT AT INDIANA. IU is unbeaten, ranked #1, and that is not likely to change.

-TULANE AT SAN DIEGO. As usual, Tulane is off to a big start, but as usual, they are completely untested. A win gets them to 8-2.

-IONA AT RUTGERS. Is Rutgers relevant?? Not sure, and winning today will hardly substantiate them as relevant, but they’re still worth keeping an eye on for now.

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Griggs Mid-Week Notes, and Highlighted Games for Thurs, Dec 6th

Posted on December 6, 2012 by David Griggs

MID-WEEK NEWS AND NOTES

-Last week I was big on Boise State, especially with their big win at Creighton. They followed that up by going into Utah and getting blown out of the gym, out of the state, and over the moon. Utah shot the lights out, especially in the first half, and a lot of credit has to go to them for playing as well as they did, but it was still kind of surprising and discouraging to see that Boise, whom I thought was good, just had no answer in their 76-55 loss.

-Ohio was another team that I was big on and that appeared to be playing well, but was also blown out of the gym on Wednesday night. They went into Memphis and looked good for the first ten minutes, but then Memphis poured it on in the final thirty and the Bobcats simply had no answer in their 84-58 loss. Having said that, a lot of credit needs to be given to Memphis, but I was expecting more out of Ohio.

-Charlotte had played a fairly weak schedule, so I wasn’t paying too much attention to their 8-0 start, but last night they went into Davidson and played an exciting, intense and close game against a good team in a hostile environment, and came out with a win. Davidson was just 4-3 coming into the game, but two of their losses were close games against Gonzaga and New Mexico away from home, so I still believed them to be good. They still could be, but they’re running out of chances to demonstrate that on their profile. As for Charlotte, they’ve been in rebuilding mode for years, so for them to be starting off 9-0 and have a big win against a rival on the road has got to have them feeling good.

-Gonzaga picked up their first true road win of the year last night against rival Washington State, but it wasn’t easy. They appeared to have a comfortable lead late in the game, but Wazzu hit a flurry of three-pointers to get back into it. It took a last second shot for the Zags to hold on and win.

-Wednesday was a big night for the Atlantic Ten. In addition to Charlotte’s big win, La Salle won easily against Penn State to improve to 5-1, Dayton won at Alabama to improve to 6-2, Temple stayed unbeaten on the year with their win at Nova (Temple has a big game coming up against Duke), Saint Louis held off North Texas to improve to 5-3, and shouldn’t have too much trouble winning their next four games, and Butler continues to play strong. Add in the kinds of years that Xavier and VCU are having, and the fact that Saint Bonaventure and Richmond have also managed decent records, the Atlantic Ten has more than held its own in the out of conference slate.

-Colorado followed up their loss at Wyoming with a big win at home against what had previously been an unbeaten Colorado State team. The Buffs jumped out to a huge lead early and it appeared to be a blowout. Colorado State made the score respectable, but it still wasn’t enough to get over the top.

Like the Atlantic Ten, the Front Range Conference is off to a good start. The problem is, the Front Range is a mythical conference, not a real conference. Colorado, Colorado State, Wyoming, and Air Force all have good records out of the gate and are teams to keep an eye on. As for Denver and Northern Colorado, well, not so much.

 

TONIGHT’S HIGHLIGTED GAMES

-CREIGHTON AT NEBRASKA. The Huskers are expected to be weak, but at 6-1 you can’t write them off yet. You may be able to write them off soon, but not yet. Creighton is highly ranked at 7-1, but this is their first true road game, and it should be a hostile environment given the rivalry these two teams have.

-LONG BEACH STATE AT SYRACUSE. LBSU is in major rebuilding mode, and shouldn’t be much of a match for Syracuse, who has looked like a #1 seed whenever I’ve watched them play.

-VANDERBILT AT XAVIER. Vandy is having a major down year. Xavier wasn’t expected to be strong, but a win will get them to 7-1.

-ARKANSAS LITTLE ROCK AT CINCINNATI. UALR is a respectable 7-0, but Cincinnati should have little trouble remaining unbeaten on the year.

-RHODE ISLAND AT PROVIDENCE. This is a rivalry game, but given how poor URI has been the last couple of years it has lost a lot of luster. A win can get Providence to 7-2.

-UCSB AT SAN DIEGO STATE. San Diego State has not lost since their season opener against Syracuse and can improve to 7-1 today.

Griggs

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Highlighted Games and Rivalries for Wed, Dec 5th

Posted on December 5, 2012 by David Griggs

-COLORADO STATE AT COLORADO (Front Range). Colorado State is unbeaten, and Colorado’s only loss came against Wyoming, who is another rival in the mythical Front Range Conference, last week. Bragging rights are on the line both on and off paper. This is a rivalry game between two teams that are trying to establish themselves as quality teams

-OHIO AT MEMPHIS. Ohio had looked impressive, but is coming off a bad loss to Robert Morris. Memphis appears to have a good team, but has yet to pick up anything close to resembling a quality win. Both of these teams desperately need to improve the looks of their profile.

-FLORIDA AT FLORIDA STATE. This is a huge rivalry game, but it has lost some of its interest considering how bad Florida State has looked. They appear to have the necessary talent to turn it around, and it should be a high energy game tonight. Florida has looked like a #1 seed all throughout the year so far.

-BOISE STATE AT UTAH. When it comes to a ratio of how accomplished a team is versus how much respect they’re receiving, Boise State’s ratio is way out of whack. They have just one loss, and it was a close game at Michigan State. They also have the best true road win of the season that anyone has managed so far at Creighton. They’re a good team who clearly belongs in the Top 25, at least at this point in time. Utah is currently 5-2 on the year, but hasn’t been challenged at all the way they will be tonight. Not only has Boise looked good, but they’ve looked good away from home.

-GONZAGA AT WASHINGTON STATE. Gonzaga has been playing like a protected seed this whole year. Wazzu is a modest 5-3, but has won all five of their home games and should be jacked for this one.

-CHARLOTTE AT DAVIDSON. This isn’t a nationally recognized rivalry, but it is a very intense rivalry. Charlotte is 7-0 coming into the game, and Davidson is a modest 4-3, but has really gone out and tested themselves with two of their losses being at New Mexico and to Gonzaga, both of whom are ranked and unbeaten. They really need some signature wins and cannot afford too many more losses if they want to get the attention of the committee. Charlotte is unbeaten, but this is by far their toughest test of the year. Their biggest win to date is probably East Carolina, so playing on the road at Davidson is a major step up in their schedule, and we should learn something about them tonight.

-TEMPLE AT VILLANOVA (Big Five). Temple is unbeaten and clearly looks to be the better team. Nova is an unimpressive 4-3. Mythical Big Five Conference bragging rights are on the line.

-SOUTH FLORIDA AT OKLAHOMA STATE. South Florida has gone 5-1 since getting waxed in their season opener against UCF. A win today would really get them back on track. Oklahoma State is trying to rebound from their first loss of the season, which was on the road to what appears to be a good Virginia Tech team.

-UTAH STATE AT BYU (***UPDATE!!!  Game Cancelled due to Utah State’s Danny Berger collapsing at practice***). Utah State is off to a 4-1 start, but this is probably their toughest test of the season so far. These two teams always get after it. It’s important both on and off paper because it’s a rivalry game between two teams that need good wins on their profile.

-DAYTON AT ALABAMA. Dayton is 5-2 and has faced some challenges, but they have not managed a win on the level that this would be. Bama is a good team that is coming off a well played, disappointing loss at the buzzer to Cincinnati, which was their first of the year, and they’ll be looking to rebound from that.

-TENNESSSEE AT VIRGINIA. These two teams have shown potential, but both need to improve the look of their profile.

-PENN STATE AT LA SALLE. A win for La Salle will improve them to 5-1 on the year. I’m standing by my preseason prediction that they will legitimately contend for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

-USC AT NEW MEXICO. New Mexico is still unbeaten and appears to be superior in every way, shape and form to USC.

-MARSHALL VS WEST VIRGINIA. Both teams have been somewhat disappointing this year. Perhaps a win in a rivalry game could give the winner the boost they need to get things on track.

-UAB AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE. Middle came up short in their last game at Akron. It wouldn’t have been a great win, but it would have been a nice win for a team that has very limited opportunities. A win tonight will get them to 6-2.

-SAINT MARY’S AT DRAKE. Not the easiest road game for a team that has had its struggles early, but if SMC is truly a tournament team this is the kind of game they should be expected to win.

-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT WESTERN KENTUCKY. Both teams currently have decent records, and both will have opportunities to boost their profile later on in the season. It’s hard to say how meaningful this game will ultimately end up being because it’s hard to know for sure how good each team will ultimately end up being, but for now it is worth paying attention to.

-STEPHEN F AUSTIN AT TEXAS A&M. I’m not too excited about either team, but SFA is unbeaten, and TAMU has just one loss on the year.

-DUQUESNE VS PITT. Pitt has dominated this series, but this has often been a competitive game. A win will get Pitt to 8-1.

-IUPUI AT BUTLER. Interesting inter-city match-up. These two teams normally don’t play, but I guess they have now begun a series. A win will get Butler to 6-2.

-NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT MOREHEAD STATE. One of the Summit League Favorites can improve to 7-2 on the year.

-NORTH TEXAS AT SAINT LOUIS. North Texas should make some noise in the Sun Belt, but may be in a little over their heads tonight against SLU.

-UMES AT MARYLAND. Maryland has not lost since their season opener against Kentucky.

-ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF AT MICHIGAN STATE.

-HARTFORD AT ARIZONA STATE. A win gets ASU to 7-1.

Griggs

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Highlighted Games for Tuesday, December 4th

Posted on December 4, 2012 by David Griggs

-SOUTH DAKOT STATE AT MINNESOTA. South Dakota State is 6-2 on the year, and has a good team, but they need a good win in order to make their profile stick out. They lost to Alabama at the buzzer in the season opener, but have another opportunity to pull off an upset tonight.

-WYOMING AT ILLINOIS STATE. Wyoming is off to an 8-0 start and is coming off a big rivalry win against Colorado. Illinois State has just two losses on the year, and missed getting what would have been a huge quality win on their resume when they came up just short against Louisville in their last game.

-NORTHWESTERN AT BAYLOR. Baylor is coming off a big win at Kentucky and looks to be a solid NCAA team. Northwestern has a nice win against Illinois State, but this would be a huge true road win for them.

-WESTERN MICHIGAN AT MICHIGAN. Michigan is unbeaten and got a rather nice win at Bradley in their last game. Western Michigan has just one loss. We’ll see what they’re made of tonight.

-LOUISVILLE AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON. CofC got off to a slow start, but is now rolling. They managed a big win against Baylor, and have a showcase home game tonight against a Louisville team that is without their best player and has been struggling. This will really put CofC on the national scene if they pull off the upset.

-KENT STATE AT BUCKNELL. Two teams that are trying to play their way inside the bubble. Bucknell has a few decent wins already. Kent has struggled more, but this would certainly be a notable road win for them.

-SOUTHERN MISS AT ARIZONA. Southern Miss suffered their first loss of the season over the weekend at New Mexico State. Arizona is unbeaten, but untested. Still, they appear to be very strong this year, though.

-GEORGIAAT GEORGIA TECH. Georgia is probably better than their 2-5 record, but needs to get with it if they want their profile to reflect it. Georgia Tech comes in at 4-2, but looked good in their last game at Illinois.

-TEXAS VS GEORGETOWN. Texas is 5-2, but I have not been impressed by them at all. Georgetown has looked very good.

-UNLV AT PORTLAND. This is the first true road game of the year for UNLV. A win will get them to 6-1.

-LIPSCOMB AT BELMONT. This is the second meeting between the two on the season, who have opted to keep the home and home series going even though it is no longer a conference game. Belmont is coming off a loss at VCU, but can still improve to 6-2 with a win today.

-GEORGE WASHINGTON AT BRADLEY. Bradley is coming off a home loss to Michigan State, but is still a modest 6-2 on the year.

-RICHMOND AT OLD DOMINION. Old Dominion is off to a very disappointing 1-6 start. Richmond is much better at 6-2, but hasn’t looked all that good from what I’ve seen of them.

-FLORIDA GULF COAST AT IOWA STATE. UFGC is 6-3 with a win over Miami, FL and should be able to make quite a bit of noise in the Atlantic Sun this year. It’s probably not enough to get them in the at-large picture, but it’s still a big year for a young program. Iowa State can get to 6-2 with a win.

-UMBC AT GEORGE MASON. Mason can improve to 6-3 with a win.

-NEBRASKA OMAHA AT WISCONSIN. Wiscy should improve to 6-3.

-SOUTH DAKOTA AT IOWA. Iowa can get to 7-2 with a win.

-SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AT MISSOURI. Mizzou shouldn’t have any trouble getting to 7-1.

-EASTERN KENTUCKY AT NC CENTRAL. EKU can improve to a perfect 8-0 with a win.

-NORTHERN KENTUCKY AT TEXAS TECH. Texas Tech can improve to 5-1 with a win, but they’ve played a very weak schedule.

-SAMFORD AT KENTUCKY. Kentucky shouldn’t have too much trouble rebounding from their loss to Baylor.

-WESTERN CAROLINA AT ILLINOIS. Look for Illinois to stay unbeaten.

Griggs

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Hoops HD Podcast 12-2-2012

Posted on December 3, 2012 by David Griggs

A lot of good discussion. Rick Majerus’s passing, an analysis of this past week’s big games, some conference realignment talk, and two great guests in Will Leich and Andy Cox.

If you’ve got nothing to do for the next two hours, give it a listen. It will be time well spent.

 

http://www.crimsoncast.com/2012/12/bracket-racket-12-2-12/

 

 

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Highlighted Games for Saturday, December 1st

Posted on December 1, 2012 by David Griggs

-BAYLOR AT KENTUCKY.  Both teams are coming off losses.  Neither team has a quality win on thier profile as high as this one would likely be.  Even though Kentucky has struggled early, it would still be a big early road win for Baylor.

-ALABAMA AT CINCINNATI.  Both teams are unbeaten.  Bama has a decent win against South Dakota State, and Cincinnati has a few notable wins from their tournament over Thanksgiviing.  It looks as though thisis the toughest test for either team so far, though. 

-MICHIGAN AT BRADLEY.  It’s a dream situation for Bradley.  They’re off to a good 5-1 start, they’re at home, and they’re playing the #3 team in the country.  It should be a great atmosphere, and we should learn something about both these teams.  For Michigan, it is their first true road game. 

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT VIRIGNIA TECH.  Both teams come into this game unbeaten.  Oklahoma State has shown they can beat good teams, but this is the first real test for Viriginia Tech so far. 

-BELMONT AT VCU (***At-Large Implications***).  It may seem too early to start to label games as having at-large implications, but Belmont will not get too many opportunities at quality wins after this.  They already have a nice win at Stanford, and this win is one of the better chances they’re going to get at solidifying themselves.  VCU has three losses, but two were to highly ranked teams in the Battle 4 Atlantis, so they have all the makigns of a solid team.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win the Atlantic Ten.  This game is probably below the radar, but it is HUGELY imoportant. 

-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT CREIGHTON.  Creighton is coming off a loss, but they’re still a very solid team.  Saint Joe’s is trying to build their resume.  If they’re able to win this one it will be a signature road win for them. 

-ILLINOIS STATE AT LOUISVILLE.  Louisville is shorthanded, but they’re still a strong team.  As for Illiniois State, this is the kind of win that can not only get them in the discussion, but way inside the bubble.  Both teams have just one loss on the season.

-NEW MEXICO AT INDIANA STATE. Very interesting game here. Indiana State dropped their opener at UCLA, but has not lost since. New Mexico is unbeaten on the season and has some decent wins to go with that record. This would certainly be another if they can pull it off.

-COLORADO AT WYOMING (Front Range).  Both teams are unbeaten, but Colorado has yet to play anyone that is likely to finish in the RPI top 200…if that.  Still, it’s a rivalry game.  It’s a mythical Front Range conference game.  They do have some momentum built up, and it will be interesting to see what they can do against the Buffalos. 

-BYU AT IOWA STATE.  Both teams have modest records, but are still unproven.  Right now I have more questions than answers about these two teams. 

-HAWAII AT UNLV. At 4-1, it’s still hard to determine how good Hawaii is. We should know a lot more about them after today.

-XAVIER AT PURDUE. Xavier didn’t appear to have much coming into the season, but they’re currently 5-1. Purdue is a very modest 3-3 and really needs to improve the looks of their resume.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT UCLA. This game should be a bigger deal than what it is, but UCLA is in a tailspin. San Diego State has struggled, but their only loss on the season was to Syracuse in the opener.

-PACIFIC AT GONZAGA. Pacific is 3-3, but put up a strong showing in the DirecTV Classic with wins over Xavier and Saint Mary’s. Gonzaga continues to look like a protected seed and hasn’t really even been challenged at home.

-MIAMI, FL AT UMASS.  Miami is coming off a good win against Michigan State, which offsets a bad loss against Florida Gulf Coast.  Both teams are looking to build up their resumes. 

-EAST CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE. An in-state matchup between two unbeaten and untested teams.

-ARIZONA AT TEXAS TECH. Two unbeaten and untested teams, but common sense tells me Arizona is the far superior team.

-DELAWARE AT DUKE. Delaware has made some noise early, but is still just 2-5 on the year. They should pick up some wins once they get into conference play. Duke is unbeaten and extremely battle tested.

-SACRAMENTO STATE AT ARIZONA STATE. Neither team had high expectations, but both are coming into this at 5-1.

-BUCKNELL AT COLUMBIA. With just one loss on the year and with wins against Purdue and George Mason, Bucknell is playing at a level that will get them into the discussion.

-GREEN BAY AT VIRGINIA. UVA is coming off a nice win against Wisconsin, and can improve to 5-2 with a win today. One of those losses was a close game at George Mason, so maybe I wrote off the Cavaliers a little too early.

-RUTGERS AT MISSISSIPPI.  Both teams enter this game with good records, but neither has really been tested yet. 

-OAKLAND AT WESTERN MICHIGAN. A win gets Western Michigan to 6-1.

-BALL STATE AT BUTLER. Butler has two really solid wins and can get to 5-2 with a win in this game.

-WAGNER AT TEMPLE. Temple seems to be under the national radar, but they have some solid road wins and can improve to 5-0 with a win today.

-COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON AT ELON (SoCon). CofC does have a nice win against Baylor, which followed a rocky start. Elon is 5-2 and unbeaten at home and will provide an early season conference test. Both CofC and Davidson are teams to watch in the SoCon. Speaking of Davidson…..

-DAVIDSON AT CHATTANOOGA (SoCon). Like CofC, Davidson has a very small margin for error in their conference games, or for that matter, in any of their games.

-OHIO AT ROBERT MORRIS. Ohio can improve to 7-0 and pick up their third true road win today.

-PRINCETON AT KENT STATE. A win will get Kent to 6-2. IF they finish at or near the top of the MAC, they should be in the discussion.

-TEXAS A&M AT HOUSTON. Neither team has really been tested, but both are 5-1.

-DETROIT AT PITTSBURGH. Pitt has been a surprising team this year and can get to 7-1 with a win today.

-SOUTHERN MISS AT NEW MEXICO STATE. Southern Miss is unbeaten, but this is one of their tougher tests so far. Still, with semi decent wins against Western Kentucky and Georgia, and the fact that this would be their forth true road wins means that they deserve a spot on the radar.

-WESTERN CAROLINA AT EASTERN KENTUCKY. EKU is untested, but a win gets them to 7-0. It’s worth mentioning.

-UC SANTA BARABARA AT SANTA CLARA. Santa Clara has just one loss on the year.

-NJIT AT SAINT JOHN’S. Both teams come in at 4-2. NJIT does not appear to be strong, but they are much stronger than some of their teams that were winless on the season a few years back.

-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT TROY (Sun Belt). A win gets WKU to 6-2 on the year and will be their second road win in conference.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT PROVIDENCE. Providence is off to a modest 5-2 start.

WAKE FOREST AT RICHMOND. Richmond hasn’t knocked my socks off when I’ve seen them, but a win today does get them to 6-2.

-RIDER AT DREXEL. Drexel has lost four games by a combined total of 14 points. I think they’re a good team, but at 2-4 their margin for error is now very small.

-UAB AT NORTH CAROLINA. UNC is looking to rebound from the pounding they received up at Indiana.

-VERMONT AT RHODE ISLAND. Vermont has just one loss on the season and can pick up their fourth true road win if they can beat Rhody.

-NORFOLK STATE AT SAVANNAH STATE (MEAC). This may be the only MEAC game that gets highlighted all year, but it is an early season conference game between two of the better teams in the league.

-CAL POLY AT SAINT MARY’S. SMC has been somewhat unimpressive this year so far. Cal Poly upset UCLA a short time ago and should be coming into this with quite a bit of confidence.

NICHOLLS STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE. Michigan State is coming off a loss to Miami, FL. A win gets them to 6-2.

-TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI AT IOWA. Iowa can get to 6-2 with a win.

-NORTH FLORIDA AT MINNESOTA. Minnesota shouldn’t have much trouble getting to 8-1.

-APPALACHIAN STATE AT MISSOURI. Mizzou should have little trouble in this one.

-NORTHERN KENTUCKY AT OHIO STATE. I hope NKU enjoys their pay check and bus ride and gets to go someplace nice to eat.

-ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF ATOREGON. A win gets the Ducks to 7-1.

-COPPIN STATE AT INDIANA. When I think of all the exciting games today, this is not one that comes to mind.

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