Under the Radar Game of the Day – Tuesday, November 21st

Posted on November 21, 2023 by John Stalica

Akron (4-1, 3-1 D1) vs. Drake (3-1, 2-1 D1) – 5:00 PM ET (FloHoops)

Today’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to the Cayman Islands for the 3rd place game of the Cayman Islands Classic; the Akron Zips will be matched up against the Drake Bulldogs. This was a potential championship matchup, but with both teams 1-1 so far in this tournament, this matchup still came to fruition. Akron beat FIU in their opener but lost to Utah State 65-62 in the semifinal round despite 25 points and 13 rebounds from Enrique Freeman.

Drake opened with an 85-77 win against Oakland, but the Bulldogs were blitzed by Stephen F. Austin 92-68 in yesterday’s round. Drake’s schedule doesn’t give them much margin for error, so they probably need to capitalize on this opportunity more than Akron at this early stage. Tucker DeVries averages 18 points a game and 6.5 rebounds a game for Drake.

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Hoops HD Bracket Projections (From David Dorman) – Nov 20th Edition

Posted on November 20, 2023 by David Griggs

For today’s Hoops HD News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – CLICK HERE

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NOTES ON THE BRACKET FROM DAVID DORMAN:

-This week’s bracket looks a little crazy. I give credit to tough scheduling in the non-conference and some teams that have a tough non-con schedule will be getting to those games soon. A few teams that could have been better seeds but that I would like to see a little more from are Iowa, Miami FL, Illinois, and Florida. The big win for Illinois against Marquette will look better and better this week. A few teams I let in at the very end of the process were Saint Mary’s and Nebraska. Saint Mary’s could easily have been left out after being blown out by San Diego State and Xavier this past weekend.

-Arizona could have been a 1-seed as their resume looks just as good as all four of the teams I have on my 1-line, but I just didn’t have room for 5 teams on the top line.

-This week is one of my favorite weeks of the college basketball season. Great tournament all over the country and islands off the coast. From early in the day to late night out west and Hawaii, it’s wall-to-wall hoops. Top teams will be tested on neutral courts and we will know much more about the landscape of college basketball in the next seven days.

-Enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday with family and friends and make sure to have one eye on college basketball all week long!

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Monday, Nov 20th

Posted on November 20, 2023 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For all of the information you can possibly need on the currently ongoing In Season Tournaments – CLICK HERE

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

There was a fair amount of chalk yesterday…

-UConn blew past Indiana in the Empire class and will face a Texas team that got a big scare from Louisville, but squeaked by on a last second shot,
-Houston held of Dayton to win the Charleston Classic,
-Miami FL had no trouble with Kansas State to win the Bahamas Championship,
-Drake had to sweat out Oakland, but held on for an 85-77 win in the Cayman Islands Classic,
-South Carolina improved to 5-0 after a 75-68 win over a pretty good Grand Canyon team in the Arizona Tip-Off

-San Diego State got a battle from Washington, but held on to win 100-97. Washington has been a bit of a surprise this year. They got the win over Xavier, which was a shock, and everyone thought they were in way over their heads today, but they hung in against a very good San Diego State team. They didn’t get the win, but they’ve certainly gotten our attention.

-Providence got a 71-64 win over Georgia in the Bahamas Championship to improve to 4-1. I am not ready to decree Providence as an NCAA Tournament caliber team, but what I am saying is that I’ve gone from thinking they were going to be in complete rebuild mode and at the bottom of the Big East to realizing that this team can play and is at least worth paying attention to. If they can keep improving, they could end up being rather dangerous. Providence seems to ALWAYS exceed expectations, and here they go again!

-Clemson had no trouble with a pretty good Boise State team and knocked them off 85-68. Clemson is now 4-0 with some fairly decent wins and has DEFINITELY passed the early season eye-test.

-Mississippi State is now 5-0 after a 66-57 win over a pretty good and previously unbeaten Northwestern team in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off. This Bulldogs (and for that matter the Wildcats too) are a team that I thought should have gotten a little more preseason love than what they did get, and is showing it now.

-Weber State was flying high after their win at Saint Mary’s, but since then have come crashing down a bit. They suffered a 57-55 loss to Colgate yesterday to fall to 3-2 on the season, and while Colgate is good by Under the Radar standards, they’re still the kind of team you need to beat if you want to show that you belong in inside the bubble. As for Saint Mary’s, which was Weber’s signature win…

-Saint Mary’s was blown out for the second game in a row, this time by Xavier, and is looking nothing like the top 25 caliber team we thought they were. They still have the talent and the pieces they need to rebound and have a big year, but up to this point they haven’t even looked like an NIT team.

-Yale needed overtime, but held on to beat Gardner Webb 71-70 in the Atlantic Slam. I’m still really big on this Yale team, but they did struggle in this event a little more than I thought they would.

-Last, and DEFINITELY least, Missouri lost at home to Jackson State 73-72. It was the first win of the year for Jackson State, and this just completely came out of nowhere. Preseason expectations were very high for Mizzou, but in their last two games they really struggled to beat Minnesota, and then they go and lose at home to Jackson State. That is a HORRIBLE week for the Tigers.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MURRAY STATE VS UNC WILMINGTON (Fort Myers Tip-Off). UNCW is off to a 3-0 start, and while none of the wins have been great wins, they’ve certainly looked good in the games that they’ve played and this event gives them the chance to rack up a few more wins away from home

-DRAKE VS STEPHEN F AUSTIN (Cayman Islands Classic). Drake really had to sweat out Oakland yesterday, but held on to win and is unbeaten on the year. They shouldn’t have too much trouble with SFA today, but they certainly sweated more then expected yesterday.

-LONG BEACH STATE VS ILLINOIS STATE (Gulf Coast Showcase). Long Beach State really got our attention with their win over Michigan last week, and suddenly they seem in position to really build up their resume if they can win this event.

-TENNESSEE VS SYRACUSE (Maui Invitational). This is probably the signature event of the month with a field of five teams that are currently highly ranked. Syracuse isn’t a team we are quite as big on, and they did need to come from behind to beat Colgate last week, but they are 3-0. Tennessee looks insanely good and depending on how the match-ups work out they should be able to pick up some wins that can help solidify them as a protected seed come March.

-INDIANA VS LOUISVILLE (Empire Classic, New York NY). Louisville did something yesterday that they haven’t done in recent memory, and that’s play a really good game against a really good team. Texas hit a game winning shot with less than a second to go, and while that really does have to sting, perhaps Louisville is able to take something away from it. They face an Indiana team today that’s had their own struggles. It’s funny to think that not that long ago these two teams could have sold out a dome. Now they’ll be playing in front of a half empty MSG for most of their game. It should fill up toward the end with the fans coming in to watch Texas v UConn.

-PURDUE VS GONZAGA (Maui Invitational). This is a match-up that feels like a potential Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight type of game, and yet we are getting it in the first round of the Maui Invitational. Both teams are highly ranked, both will likely end up with protected seeds, and some feel (myself included) that Purdue is good enough to win it all. This is just a really good early season litmus test that will likely result in a high tier 1 win for whoever pulls it off. Not to mention, this game is just going to be a ton of fun to watch!

-FLORIDA STATE VS UNLV (Sunshine Slam). These are two teams that we think have potential, but who really haven’t shown it yet and need to get their motors started if they’re going to have a big year.

-VIRGINIA AT WISCONSIN (Fort Meyers Tip-Off). If you like defense, then this is the game for you!! First to 50 wins!! As far as what it means on paper, neither team got a whole lot of preseason attention, but Virginia is off to a 4-0 start, and while Wisconsin is just 2-2 I still think they’ll be in the discussion come March. This is a big early season game that would like nice on paper for whoever pulled it off, but also give them some momentum going forward.

-UCONN VS TEXAS (Empire Classic). UConn blew past Indiana yesterday and has looked like a top ten team all season long. Texas had all kinds of trouble with Louisville (as was previously mentioned) and needed a last second shot to get the win. Nevertheless, we ended up with the match-up between two top 20 teams that most were expecting to see.

-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT KENTUCKY. This could end up looking like your run of the mill buy game, but Joe’s is 3-1 and hadn’t looked absolutely terrible in any of their games until their last game, so MAYBE they can stay with Kentucky for a little bit. Kentucky is coming off a loss to Kansas, but it was a game where I thought they looked fantastic. All signs seem to be pointing to a team that will get better as the season goes along and be incredibly dangerous come March.

-UTAH STATE AT AKRON (Cayman Islands Classic). Utah State is off to a fairly decent 3-1 start and has an opportunity on this event to rack up some good wins. Akron is also off to a good start and is a team that I think has a chance to land inside the bubble. They’re going to need to play better today than they did against FIU yesterday, though.

-COLORADO VS RICHMOND (Sunshine Slam). Colorado comes in after just three buy games, and while this isn’t a huge test, it’s at least more than a buy game. Richmond is a decent 2-1 and coming off a loss to Boston College. This event is an opportunity for both teams.

-BRADLEY VS TULANE (SoCal Challenge). I’m REALLY looking forward to this one! Both teams are unbeaten, both have looked good up to this point and Bradley in particular already has some notable wins. Both are teams we felt could be dark horses this year and take huge steps forward as a program. I like both these teams, I think it’s possible that one (or even both) are able to make a run at the bubble this year, and I think this may end up being one of the better games of the day.

-UCLA VS MARQUETTE (Maui Invitational). Both teams come in at 3-0, and while people aren’t as big on UCLA as they’ve been in recent years, they’re still a really tough defensive team. Marquette is just awesome. They pressure, they can score, and they are super athletic, so the contrast in styles should be as much fun as anything.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES/BUY GAMES:

-Cornell vs Utah Valley (Jacksonville Classic) – both teams are coming in with solid records and just one loss
-Kent State @ Fordham (Paradise Jam) – both teams have potential and both are teams we’re kinda sorta rooting for to have good years, but both also have a lot of work to do
-George Mason vs South Dakota State (Jacksonville Classic) – I still think South Dakota State can blow through the Summit League, but they’re just 1-3 to start the year and could really use a win today
-UMass Lowell @ Saint Peter’s – Lowell really blew a chance at a big win at Arizona State in their last game, but they’re still a dangerous team and can pick up their third road win of the season today
-SC State @ Tulsa – Tulsa is unbeaten
-Oregon @ Florida A&M – this is part of the Pac-12/SWAC scheduling agreement. It’s a chance for Oregon to pick up a road win
-Abilene Christina vs Missouri State (Paradise Jam) – Both teams have shown some promise early on
-Charlotte vs UCF (Jacksonville Classic) – both teams 3-1
-SMU vs West Virginia (Fort Myers Tip-Off) – I’m not all that big on either team, but both come in to this one with just one loss
-Kansas vs Chaminade (Maui Invitational) – Kansas should roll, and tougher competition is on the way
-Navy @ San Diego – San Diego can improve to 4-1
-Mississippi Valley State @ Santa Clara – Santa Clara can remain unbeaten
-California vs UTEP (SoCal Challenge) – UTEP can get their record to 5-0 with a win

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Hanging with the Hoyas: Parts 3 AND 4

Posted on November 20, 2023 by Jon Teitel

HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the upcoming months covering several Georgetown basketball home games, with (hopefully) a very special reward coming in March. He was in attendance for a pair of games last weekend at the Georgetown MTE and prepared this photo essay about the Hoyas’ matchups against both Mount St. Mary’s and American.


I do not ever recall attending Georgetown games on consecutive days…but I suppose that is the point of hosting a multi-team event (MTE) as they did last weekend. You never know if you are getting breakfast or lunch as a pregame meal for a Saturday 12PM tipoff but Chick-fil-A saved the day with chicken/sausage/biscuits. There were plenty of seats available to see Mount St. Mary’s: good, bad, and otherwise:

Let’s tip it off from my courtside seat:

Not pictured: Mount St. Mary’s SR PG/DC native Xavier Lipscomb, who spent the day in street clothes on the bench with a boot on his left foot. I did not know where the Mountaineers offense would come from in his absence but the answer was the bench. G De’Shayne Montgomery made a corner 3 and a dunk in addition to several layups in the 1st half:

His teammate Dola Adebayo lived up to his lofty last name with a variety of finishes in the paint including a put-back and a baby hook:

Georgetown coach Ed Cooley has some major concerns about turnovers and bench scoring but 1 thing that seems to be going right is the fact that his entire starting 5 entered the game scoring 10+ PPG:

SO G Jayden Epps was able to keep driving into the lane for layup after layup and even added a couple of threes for good measure, but to be a true PG he must improve on his 19 TO through his 1st 4 games:

SR G Jay Heath came off the bench for the 1st 2 games this year but looked quite comfortable as a starter with a couple of layups at the rim and a couple of shots from behind the arc:

JR wing Dontrez Styles came in making 6-13 from behind the arc this year and kept it going with a trio of trifectas before halftime. He was on fire early as he tied his career-high with 15 PTS in the 1st 15 minutes to help the Hoyas build a 43-31 halftime lead:

Styles continued to reach the rim in the 2nd half for several layups and finished with a career-high 26 PTS. His teammate Supreme Cook dominated the paint with an old-fashioned 3-PT play and multiple alleyoop dunks, scoring 15 of his 17 total PTS in the 2nd stanza as Georgetown hung on to win 83-72:

In the postgame press conference I asked Mount coach Dan Engelstad when he expected his injured PG to be back on the court. He said they recently got the X-rays back and that Lipscomb would be meeting with his doctor on Monday. As a vocal/everyday leader with a near-4.0 GPA as a double-major he has never had a bad day and means a lot to the program, and while he was a coach on the floor he is now a coach from the bench:

I wondered if Styles was excited to play again the very next day after such a powerful performance. He agreed…but as someone who just tries to go out and play hard he is mainly concerned with getting another win:

There ain’t no rest for this wicked blogger as it was back to Capital 1 Arena for the 2nd time in as many days to see Georgetown host American on Sunday. We can skip the pregame meal/tip-off because this turned out to be the most exciting game of the year so far. I want to say this was also the most exciting game for American coach Duane Simpkins…but next week is the 30th anniversary of his game-winning layup with 3 seconds left for Maryland in a 1-PT OT win over Georgetown in Landover, which is why he was so calm for today’s matchup:

SO G Geoff Sprouse has been subbing in off the bench this year after being a starter for most of last year. He made 3-6 3PM in the Eagles’ win over Georgetown last year and continued to make it rain with 4 threes in the 1st half:

Georgetown wing Dontrez Styles had 1 of the best games of his career on Saturday and remained hot in the 1st half on Sunday with a fadeaway jumper in the lane, a corner 3, and a couple of layups to help his team build a 35-34 halftime lead despite a huge 23-5 disadvantage in bench points:

American did not fade away in the 2nd half thanks to a couple of local veterans. SR SG Lincoln Ball from Williamsport is just a career 22% 3-PT shooter but knocked down both of his attempts in the 2nd stanza:

SR PF Matt Rogers from Knoxville made a variety of dunks/put-backs/hook shots down the stretch but his most impressive effort began (ironically) with a missed FT with 25 seconds left and his team up by 2. He was somehow able to grab the rebound, make a layup, get fouled, and convert the and-1 to make it 75-70, which appeared to be the dagger:

…but somebody forgot to tell Georgetown G Jayden Epps, who scored a career-high 31 PTS (including each of his team’s final 14 PTS in regulation) to save the day:

He saved his best for last by rattling in a corner 3 with 5.6 seconds left to tie it at 76 and send it to OT…and I had a courtside seat for his heroics:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6-qO65e3f8
Overtime was rather uneventful as American made exactly 1 FG and the Hoyas hung on for an 88-83 victory. In the postgame press conference I asked Coach Simpkins about any advice for winning close games that he had received from the 2 Hall of Fame coaches he played for (Morgan Wootten/Gary Williams). He said that Wootten focused on making free throws and ball security, while Williams emphasized playing as hard as you possibly can until the very end:

Speaking of ball security, I was curious how Coach Cooley was able to get his team to clean that up (just 11 TO in 45 minutes) after back-to-back games with 20+ turnovers. He mentioned that they watched a lot of film because they needed the confidence to advance the ball during pressure and recognize where the advantage is on the floor:

That is a wrap for the weekend, I will be back next week as we inch closer to conference play, and hope everybody has a Happy Thanksgiving!

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Monday, November 20th

Posted on November 20, 2023 by John Stalica

Abilene Christian (3-2) vs. Missouri State (3-1) – 8:00 PM ET (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day heads to the Virgin Islands for the championship game of the Paradise Jam between the Abilene Christian Wildcats and the Missouri State Bears. We weren’t sure what to expect from ACU coming into this event – they had a win at Oklahoma State to start off the season but also had an inexplicable loss at home to Prairie View A&M. However, they find themselves in the championship game with wins against both San Jose State and Fordham. Ali Abdou Dibba leads the Wildcats with 13.4 points a game.

Missouri State was more chalky in their first week of play with a loss at West Virginia and a home win against Oral Roberts. In the Paradise Jam, they beat Florida Gulf Coast and Kent State to earn their spot in the championship game. Donovan Clay had 16 points for the Bears in their win over Kent State.

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News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Sunday, November 19th

Posted on November 19, 2023 by John Stalica

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.

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