NEWS AND NOTES:
-So, the Barstool Classic is such a different flavor that it’s actually kind of refreshing. I know a little bit about them, but only a little bit. The two games yesterday were pretty blah on the court, but the media production of the games can simply be described as ‘The Frat Guys Have Taken Over!” I don’t mean that in a good way or bad way. It’s just COMPLETELY different! Check out the YouTube videos if you missed it!
As for the games themselves, our own David Dorman was there and wrote all about it. CLICK HERE TO READ IT. Florida Atlantic looked really impressive and deserving of their ranking as they thumped Loyola Chicago, and Mississippi State, who was a team we were expecting to be really good, looked really good as well and had no trouble with Arizona State.
-Drake got a battle from Lipscomb for about 30 minutes, but blew it open late for an 85-70 win in their opener. We are all really big on this Drake team and think it’s someone we will see inside the bubble come March.
-UNLV had their doors completely blown off, at home, by Southern. The final score was 85-71, but Southern led by a lot more than that for most of the game. This was a UNLV team that many were saying could finally break through and get back to being nationally relevant. They’ll need to improve quite a bit from yesterday. They were without a couple of key players, but still…
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-JAMES MADISON AT KENT STATE. This is a really tough road game for James Madison, but seeing as how their season opener was a road game at #4 Michigan State, and they won it, one can only conclude that this is certainly a road game that they are able to win. Kent State’s first game was a win against a nonD1, so this is a much tougher test. They are expected to be one of the better teams in the MAC, and they’re always tough to beat at home, so if JMU were to pull it off they’d appear to have the makings of a really strong NCAA Tournament resume right out of the gate.
-UTAH VALLEY AT SAM HOUSTON. This is an Under the Radar game for sure, but both teams won their opener, and while Utah Valley has had to overhaul their roster both are expected to do well in their respective conferences. These were the top two teams in the WAC a year ago, but Sam Houston has made the move to CUSA.
-NEW MEXICO AT SAINT MARY’S. This is probably the game of the day. New Mexico is a really talented team, but many are questioning just how good they will actually turn out to be this year. Winning at Saint Mary’s is a very tall order. It’s a tough place for road teams anyway, but the Gaels are a legit top 25 team that may be even better than their current ranking of 23rd. If New Mexico could pull off this upset, it would instantly get them quite a bit of attention, not to mention a huge road win for their resume.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES AND BUY GAMES:
-John Brown (nonD1) @ Baylor
-Pepperdine @ UC Davis – both teams 1-0
-Southern Indiana @ Michigan State – Spartans looking for their first win
-Northwestern State @ Tulane – both teams 1-0
-East Tennesse State @ Elon – Elon hung tough with Wake Forest and ETSU is looking for their second road win
-North Florida @ Charleston Southern – both teams 1-0
-Howard @ Georgia Tech – both teams 1-0
-Western Kentucky @ Wichita State – we aren’t expecting either team to be all that strong this year, but both have rich histories and both won their openers
-Stephen F Austin @ Middle Tennessee – both teams 1-0, and Middle Tennessee manhandled a pretty good Northern Kentucky team in their opener
-Lamar @ SMU – both teams 1-0
-Omaha @ TCU – both teams 1-0
-Lindenwood @ Iowa State
-Florida A&M @ Nebraska
-Cal State Bakersfield @ USC – both teams 1-0
-Portland State @ UC Santa Barbara – season opener for the Gauchos who should be a good Big West team. Portland State won their opener
-Saint Francis U @ San Francisco
-Bethesda (nonD1) @ San Jose State
-Northern Kentucky @ Washington – NKU was beaten badly in their opener, but they’re still one of the better teams in the Horizon League. Washington better not overlook them.
