-We will be recording our Hoops HD Report Video Podcast tonight, which will be the first of the regular seaosn!! Be sure and be on the lookout for that and give it a watch and/or listen.
-Indiana blew Marquette into the sun 100-77. Based on how Indiana has played for the last…oh, I don’t know…several years or so it was easy to not take them all that seriously coming into this year. We better be taking them seriously now! Marquette is no pushover, and Indiana basically knocked them over! On paper it’s a nice neutral floor win for the Hoosiers. Off paper it was a major statement that they are for real.
-Oklahoma State blew out Texas A&M 87-63. It was TAMU’s first real test under Bucky McMillan and it did not go well. I know this was a road game for Texas A&M, but I was still expecting them to win, or at least not get blown out. Perhaps the Pokes are a lot better than I thought, and perhaps TAMU is a lot worse.
-An Under the Radar note – Vermont needed overtime to win at Brown. Vermont was a team we thought would run away from the America East. While they’re now 3-0 with a true road win, it’s one of the least impressive 3-0 starts I can ever recall.
-Baylor held serve against Washington and picked up a 78-69 win at home. It’s hard to say yet just how good Washington is, much less how good they will be on the road, but this is still categorically a much better win for the Bears than simply playing another buy game.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MISSISSIPPI STATE VS IOWA STATE (Sioux Falls, SD). Iowa State looks to be really good this year, and some are saying they’re good enough to win the Big 12. Mississippi State is a possible tournament team. If they can somehow get the win tonight it would be a huge early season quality win for thier resume, and a sign that they can play with just about anyone.
-NEW ORLEANS AT LSU. This is a fascinating game. UNO has dumped a lot of money into basketball, and all the early signs this season is that they are MUCH MUCH MUCH better than anyone thought!! They already have a road win at TCU, and if they can somehow pick this one up tonight then we would almost have to start thinking of them as a team that’s good enough to make a run at the bubble. They have the opportunities that they need to build that type of resume in OOC play if they’re good enough. I’m actually REALLY looking forward to this one tonight!
-Western Kentucky @ Eastern Kentucky – both teams won their openers, but this is the first real test for either one of them. I don’t think either team will end up anywhere near the bubble, but I like this EKU team and think they can win the Sun Belt. Plus, this is one of our favorite OOC UTR rivalries!!
-UNC Wilmington @ Kent State – it’s a match-up between two pretty solid UTR teams. UNCW is looking for their first true road win.
-Santa Clara @ Xavier – Xavier had to sweat out both of their home buy games, and will face a Santa Clara team tonight that’s a lot better than anyone they’ve played so far. Santa Clara comes in at 2-0 and is looking for their first true road win.
-Saint Thomas @ Washington State – the Tommies are the favorites to win the Summit League, so Wazzu better not overlook them. This is perhaps a winnable road game for them
-Columbia @ UConn – both teams unbeaten -Maine @ Rutgers -Fairfield @ Seton Hall -Eastern Michigan @ Pittsburgh -Stetson @ Miami FL -Lindenwood @ Saint Louis -Lamar @ TCU -Cleveland State @ Northwestern -Northern Illinois @ Grand Canyon -Holy Cross @ Utah -SELA @ Georgia Tech -West Georgia @ UCLA -Cal State Fullerton @ California
HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the upcoming months covering several Georgetown basketball home games, with (hopefully) a very special reward coming in March. However, since it is a rare occurrence for the Quakers to visit him in DC, he was in attendance Sunday afternoon for American’s home-opener at Bender Arena and prepared this photo essay about their matchup against Penn.
Pregame meal: better than Howard (which had no meal), but worse than Georgetown (because I was only able to snag 2 slices of pizza before they ran out of food). On the plus side, there are LOTS of notable coaches in the house:
1. Gary Williams: best-known for winning the 2002 NCAA title as coach at Maryland, but his very 1st job as a college head coach was at American from 1978-1982:
2. Mark Turgeon: won 471 career games, made 5 NCAA tourneys during a 7-year stretch as coach at Maryland from 2015-2021…and was thrilled to see me!:
3. Jimmy Patsos: won the 2002 NCAA title as an assistant to Williams at Maryland, but became a HoopsHD legend after his unforgettable performance in the handshake line as head coach at Siena in 2017 (www.youtube.com/shorts/Wg5NIiKudho):
Right before tip-off the Eagles unveiled last season’s Patriot League championship banner (their 1st since 2014):
Bonus points to the Eagles for naming their mascot “Clawed”!:
Let’s tip it off:
Today is Coach Fran McCaffery’s 1st game with the Quakers that is taking place away from the Palestra since he scored 2 PTS as a player in a 10-PT loss to St. John’s in the 1982 NCAA tourney (Chris Mullin scored 19 PTS):
The Eagles trailed 11-7 after the 1st 5 minutes, then went on 21-4 run during the subsequent 6 minutes thanks in large part to SO F Julen Iturbe. He did some damage from inside with a tip-in/layup, and stepped outside to drain a pair of threes en route to 10 PTS in the 1st half:
Just when all looked lost for the Quakers, they went on a 14-2 run to get right back in the game. Penn SR wing Michael Zanoni did not do much from long range in his season-opener last Friday (0-3 3PM), but has apparently fixed whatever was wrong, as he knocked down 4 shots from behind the arc in the opening stanza:
American FR G Madden Collins scored just 5 PTS in his college debut last Monday, but the 2nd time was the charm as he made a pair of jump shots and converted a couple of steals into layups on the other end to help his team enter halftime with a 42-37 lead:
Penn used some senior leadership to take the lead late in the 2nd half. Ethan Roberts made a pair of old-fashioned 3-PT plays (which is how he was able to have his 2nd straight game with 11+ FTA), while Cam Thrower was able to get into the lane for several layups of his own as the road team took a 67-66 lead with under 7 minutes left:
The lowlight of the 2nd half was when I experienced my 1st-ever college coach’s challenge in person. Coach McCaffery asked the refs to review an out-of-bounds call with just under 6 minutes left, so they spent several minutes at the monitor…then walked across the court to consult yet ANOTHER monitor…and then finally confirmed their original call. The process worked, but it was 5 minutes of my life that I am never getting back:
Collins kept pouring it on in the 2nd half, finishing with 25 PTS/4 STL in 25 minutes, and he got some timely contributions from his senior backcourt teammate Geoff Sprouse (who scored all 10 of his PTS in the 2nd stanza), as American got its 1st win of the season by a score of 84-78:
In the postgame “scrum” (aka “coach stands outside the press conference room while a few media members pepper him with questions”), I asked Coach McCaffery who his starting PG would be when his team heads to Providence on Tuesday. He did not want to field that 1, so I rolled the dice to see if he would say when he would make the decision. Answer: “sometime today”. AJ Levine has started the 1st 2 games (0-2 FG, 1-2 FT), but I think it might be time for Thrower (6-12 FG, 12-13 FT) to take over:
In the home team’s more conventional postgame press conference, I wondered how American felt about seeing its championship banner unveiled before tip-off. Iturbe admitted it was awesome to see a few of his former teammates return for the ceremony and that the current team is ready to do it again, while Coach Duane Simpkins shared that he felt choked up for a second and that it was great to celebrate that moment with the fans:
That is a wrap for now but check back later this week as I visit my 3rd DC-area gym in a 10-day stretch when Georgetown hosts Binghamton!
-Alabama got a massive win at Saint John’s yesterday 103-96. Saint John’s is currently ranked 5th in the nation and believed by pretty much everyone to be a protected seed caliber team. For Bama to get a road win of that caliber is huge for their resume. Beating a protected seed in a true road game is not something we see happen all that often.
-Arkansas battled at Michigan State, but came up just short 69-66 in what was a really entertaining game. It’s a nice resume builder for Michigan State, and perhaps a missed opportunity for Arkansas, but both of these teams are going to have so many opportunities for big wins between now and March that you can hardly even call it a setback for the Razorbacks.
-Gonzaga basically lead Oklahoma from tip to buzzer and never really sweated in their 83-68 win over the Sooners. Once again the Zags appear to be very good.
-Memphis jumped all over San Francisco early, but the Dons mad a run in the second half to get back into the game. The Tigers still picked up the 76-70 win, which is huge for them because they don’t get as many chances at notable wins as the teams in the P4 do. It would have been a big win for San Francisco had they been able to pull it off, especially with it being a road game, but the loss isn’t a terrible setback. They don’t have chances at big wins every week the way the P4 seemingly does, but they’ll have enough to play their way inside the bubble if they’re good enough.
-Virginia Tech got an entertaining overtime win over Providience 107-101 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip Off. I’m still not all that big on either team, but it was a fun game to watch and we’ll pay attention to both teams until they give us a reason not to.
-Nevada got a scare from Pacific, but held on to win 78-77 to remain unbeaten. Pacific isn’t expected to be that good. We almost saw another shocking home loss by a Mountain West team.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-INDIANA VS MARQUETTE (Chicago IL). It’s the first real test for both of these teams. Preseason expectations brought a lot of question marks for both of them, especially for the Hoosiers, so we should be able to learn something about both of them today. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them both in the NCAA Tournament this March.
-TEXAS A&M AT OKLAHOMA STATE. This is a true road test for TAMU. Oklahoma State isn’t expected to be all that great this year, but it would still be a true road win and a good early addition to TAMU’s profile if they can pull it off.
-WASHINGTON AT BAYLOR. This is the first real test for either team and a chance to sort of slingshot themselves into the spotlight with a notable early season win, especially Washington if they can get this one on the road.
-South Dakota State @ Northern Iowa – neither team has a loss yet, and I think both can do very well in their conferences. Northern Iowa is actually my pick to win the MVC this year.
-VMI @ Missouri – this may not seem like a big game on the surface, but both teams are unbeaten, VMI is perhaps a dark horse in the SoCon, and Mizzou had to sweat out SEMO just a couple nights ago
-North Texas @ Loyola Chicago – Loyola Chicago is coming off a loss to Mercyhurst, and North Texas can improve to 3-0 and pick up their second true road win
-Florida Atlantic @ Liberty – Both teams are unbeaten. It’s the first true road game for FAU, and Liberty may be an under the radar team that’s good enough to make a run at the bubble
-Morehead State @ Georgia -Lehigh @ West Virginia -Utah Tech @ Arizona State -UC Davis @ Portland – both teams unbeaten -Idaho State @ San Diego State – both teams unbeaten -Manhattan @ USC – both teams unbeaten -Omaha @ Colorado State
-North Carolina pulled away from Kansas after a dominant second half to win 87-74 in Chapel HIll. Both teams will likely be in the rankings for most of the season, so it’s a notable win for UNC’s profile even though it’s early and even though they were at home.
-The Maryland v Georgetown rivalry has finally resumed!! And yesterday’s edition of it was rather underwhelming. I kind of felt cheated!! It was sloppily played in an arena that wasn’t full and didn’t resemble the high energy crowds we had seen during the Gavitt Games. Nevertheless, Georgetown picked up a really nice road win 70-60 and their season is off to a good start for the first time in seemingly forever.
-Utah State picked up a nice neutral floor win against VCU 80-77. Utah State appeared to be in control of the game, but VCU made a late run and almost came all the way back to win it all. We think both of these teams could end up in the NCAA Tournament, so this was an important neutral floor matchup for both of them.
-PENGUIN FEVER LIVES!!! In one of the biggest surprises of the day, Youngstown State went into Grand Canyon and pulled off a 90-81 road win after holding a lead for most of the game. GCU almost never loses at home, and they’re expected to have a big year this year. It’s hard to say whether Youngstown State is a team we really need to start following or if we just big-time overestimated Grand Canyon, but for now it’s a great win for the Penguins! And, Grand Canyon is in the Mountain West this year, and this is yet ANOTHER surprising home buy game loss for an MWC team.
-Yale blew Navy off the floor 97-68. Navy isn’t a team that we thought would land inside the bubble, but they are the favorites to win the Patriot League and Yale just went on the road and blew them out. We knew this was a good Yale team, but they may be even better than we thought.
-Oakland actually hung with Purdue and only trailed by 5 with less than 8mins to go. The Boilers held on to win 87-77 but it was a really impressive showing by the Golden Griz.
-Missouri got a big battle from SEMO and actually trailed for much of the second half. With less than five minutes to go SEMO was ahead. It wasn’t until the final minute that they finally got control of the game and held on 89-84. After losing badly to Saint Louis in their first game, this was a rather impressive showing for SEMO.
-Oregon is 2-0!! They started off with a 1-pt win over Hawaii and last night they held on to beat…(checks notes)…RICE!! 67-63. This is perhaps the most underwhelming 2-0 start we’ve seen from Oregon in quite some time.
-Cal Baptist, who is the favorite to win the WAC, but…okay…sure…went on the road and beat UC Irvine very handily. I know UC Irvine is having to rebuild their roster, but they still looked like one of the best teams in the Big West and they almost never lose at home, so it’s a great win for Lancers who will soon be in the Big West!!
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-ALABAMA AT SAINT JOHN’S. Both teams are high in the rankings and both are being projected as probable protected seeds. Both also lost a lot off of their rosters from a year ago, and while it’s obvious both are talented we haven’t seen these teams play together against a high quality opponent yet. We will definitely get to see that today.
-SAN FRANCISCO AT MEMPHIS. This is a very important early season game for both of these teams. Both are good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, but neither has an abundance of chances to get big wins throughout the season the way the P4 conference teams do, so there is a fair amount of stakes to this game.
-ARKANSAS AT MICHIGAN STATE. Both teams are in the rankings and both have high expectations for this season. Arkansas in particular is super talented, but can they get a win like this at this point in the season? It’s one of many resume boosting opportunities for both these teams.
-OKLAHOMA AT GONZAGA. These are two likely tournament teams, especially Gonzaga, and both are looking for a resume boosting win right out of the gate. If Oklahoma could somehow win this it should catapult them into the top 25.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Princeton @ Akron – Princeton is expected to struggle this year. It will be interesting to see what they do in their season opener, which is a true road test
-Penn State @ New Haven – for New Haven this is a showcase home game against a (sort of) P4 team. It’s interesting enough to note
-South Florida vs George Washington (Uncasville CT) – I like this GW team and think they can make the NCAA Tournament this year. These are the kinds of games they are expected to win in order to earn it
-Drexel @ Saint Joseph’s (Big 5) – both teams are 1-0 and it’s a Big Five game!!
-Towson @ Houston – this game is a mismatch, but it’s still an interesting matchup. I like this Towson team and they can win the CAA. I just don’t think they’re anywhere near as good as Houston, but it’s still a good game for both teams to play
-William & Mary @ Norfolk State – it’s an odd game to highlight, but I like both teams and think both have a shot at winning their conferences. It’s W&M’s first road game, and a chance for Norfolk to get to 3-0 on the season
-Vanderbilt @ UCF – both teams are 1-0, and this is a pretty good Vandy team with what should be a winnable road game for them
-Utah Valley @ Boise State – Utah Valley is the favorites to win the WAC and they’re looking for their first road win of the season. Boise State is looking to bounce back from losing to a D2 team in their season opener
-Providence vs Virginia Tech (Uncasville CT) – I’m not all that big on either one of these teams, but it’s a chance to get a notable neutral floor win early in the year, which would be a decent start
-Queens @ Villanova – it’s a buy game, but Queens is picked to win the ASun and Nova played really well in their opener against BYU, so it’s worth mentioning
-Chattanooga @ UNLV – I like this Chattanooga team a lot, and UNLV lost their season opener to UT Martin, who I don’t think is as good as Chattanooga, so the Runnin’ Rebs better be on upset alert
BUY GAMES AND OTHER BLAH GAMES:
-Alcorn State @ Minnesota – Alcorn battled at South Alabama -Florida International @ Nebraska – both teams 1-0 -Delaware State @ Syracuse -Western Carolina @ Duke -Texas State @ Tulane – Tulane is 1-0 and may make some noise in the American -Marshall @ Toledo – Marshall is looking for their 2nd road win -UMBC @ Dayton – both teams 1-0 -Northern Kentucky @ Tennessee -Lafayette @ Texas – Texas looking for their first win -Monmouth vs La Salle – both teams 1-0 -UT Arlington @ New Mexico – both teams 1-0 -Cal State Fullerton @ Wyoming – both teams 1-0 -Eastern Washington @ Colorado -Montana @ Stanford – both teams are unbeaten and Stanford may struggle -Canisius @ Saint Bonaventure (Big 4) – The Bonnies can stay unbeaten -Averett (nonD1) @ High Point -IU Indy @ Butler – crosstown matchup -Florida Atlantic vs Charleston (Lynchburg VA) – both teams unbeaten -East Carolina @ Richmond – both teams 1-0 -Prairie View @ Wichita State – both teams unbeaten -Weber State @ Utah (Bee Hive) – both teams 1-0 -Bellarmine @ Kansas State -Tennessee State @ Belmont – both teams 1-0, and Belmont may be pretty good this year -Holy Cross @ BYU -Arkansas Pine Bluff @ LMU – LMU can get to 3-0 -Houston Christian @ UC San Diego – both teams 1-0 -Pacific @ Nevada – both teams 1-0
-A reminder that our TEAM SHEETS are up and running!! And, I really mean it when I say I think they are the best on the internet. Be sure and follow those throughout the season.
A few notable results from last night…
-The most entertaining game of the night was Long Island’s 94-90 win at IU Indy. IU Indy is off to an 0-2 start and likely won’t be a force in the Horizon League, but they appear to be much improved and are very entertaining to watch. They will be able to rack up some wins this year. Long Island is expected to run away from the NEC this year and this was a nice road win for them.
-West Virginia struggled some with Campbell, but held on to win 73-65.
-Xavier is 2-0, but both wins were home buy games against weak UTR teams, and they barely won each of them. They beat Le Moyne 74-69 after letting LeMoyne stay in the game the whole way. It will likely be a long and frustrating year for Stalica’s Musketeers.
-Drake fell in overtime to Robert Morris 81-79. With their coach and nearly every key player transferring to Iowa, Drake is just nowhere near the same team they were a year ago.
-Last but not least (unless you’re a Loyola Chicago fan) a shoutout to Mercyhurst, who is a transitional program, but managed an impressive 76-65 win over Loyola Chicago last night! Mercyhurst was 12-16 against D1 teams a year ago, which is actually really good for a transitional program, and to go on the road and beat an A10 team last night is another program-building win.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-CHARLESTON AT LIBERTY. Both teams won their first game and both have big expectations for this year. It’s possible we’ll see both of them in the NCAA Tournament via the autobid, and if either of them are going to make a run at the bubble then these are the types of games they’re going to have to be able to win.
-GEORGETOWN AT MARYLAND. IT IS FINALLY BACK!!! At long last these two are resuming a regular season series!! We had two meetings during the Gavitt Games a few years back, but other than that this series has been dormant for decades after a dispute as to whose turn it was to play at home ended the series. Georgetown hasn’t been good in recent years, but is showing signs of improvement this year. Maryland is a potential NCAA Tournament team as well and this would be a nice win for them if they’re able to pull it off at home. This one should be wild!
-KANSAS AT NORTH CAROLINA. Both teams are in the rankings and this is the first real test for each of them. It’s a chance to pick up what will likely end up being a quality win for whichever team pulls it off.
-VCU VS UTAH STATE (Frisco TX). This has the feel of a game between two potential bubble teams. It’s a neutral floor game between two teams who appear to be good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, but who will also have limited opportunities at notable wins, so even though it’s early in the season this one still feels really important
-YALE AT NAVY. Why are we highlighting this?? Because it’s a legit good game that’s also potentially important. It is the season opener for a very good Yale team and a Navy team that is favored to win the Patriot League. This would likely end up being a very good win for Yale if they pull it off because Navy isn’t likely to lose too many at home. If Yale is going to make a run at the bubble, they need to win games like this right out of the gate. I submit to the Selection Committee that these are the types of road games that are good to schedule if you want to end up getting selected. Navy may not be a top 50 team, but they are tough to beat on their floor.
-UAB AT NC STATE. Both teams come in 1-0. NC State looks to be a solid tournament caliber team. They’re not in the top 25 right now, but I bet they get into it soon. UAB is a team to watch this year as well. This would be a big early season statement if they’re able to pull off the upset.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Winthrop @ George Mason – both teams are 1-0, and both have the potential to have decent years this year. For Winthrop, it’s a chance to follow up their win in the Field of 68 Marathon with a very good win away from home
-Troy @ Furman – Troy picked up a really nice win at Kent State in their opener and has another tough road test tonight. Furman has potential this year, but they were beaten badly by High Point in their season opener and are looking to bounce back
-Washington State @ Davidson – this is a winnable game for Davidson which would get them to 2-0
-Sacred Heart @ Duquesne – Both teams are 1-0, and this is perhaps a winnable road game for a Sacred Heart team that’s looking pretty good this year
-Sam Houston @ Texas Tech – it’s a buy game, and it looks to be a huge mismatch between a legit top ten team and another team that isn’t likely to land anywhere near the bubble, but Same Houston does at least have a pulse and it’s a semi-interesting regional matchup
-VMI @ Southern Indiana – this is Chad’s pick to win the SoCon versus my pick to be the dark horse in the OVC!! THIS MAY BE THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR!!!
-Youngstown State @ Grand Canyon – It’s the season opener for GCU, and they have a decent shot at making a run at the bubble. Having said that, they better not overlook Youngstown State. The Penguins are likely overmatched, but are still good enough to beat a team that overlooks them. They lost their opener to Pittsburgh, but didn’t look bad at all in that game.
-McNeese @ Santa Clara – both teams come in 1-0 and both have high expectations for this year. With that being said, this is a good early opportunity for both of these teams
-Chattanooga @ Saint Mary’s – this is likely a mismatch that favors Saint Mary’s, but Chattanooga is one of the best teams in the SoCon and it will be interesting to see what they can do in a game like this
CRAPPY BUY GAMES:
-Boston U @ Northwestern – both teams 1-0 -Tulsa @ Rhode Island – both teams 1-0 -PFW @ Ohio State -Oakland @ Purdue -Valparaiso @ Kentucky – both teams 1-0 -Arkansas State @ Stephen F Austin – both teams 1-0 -Alabama State @ Florida State -Western Illinois @ Iowa -Georgia State @ Cincinnati -Morehead State @ Wake Forest – both teams 1-0 -NC Central @ Virginia -Longwood @ Pittsburgh – both teams 1-0 -Detroit Mercy @ Notre Dame -Gardner Webb @ Clemson -UMass Lowell @ UConn – both teams 1-0 -UL Monroe @ Ole Miss -Wagner @ Seton Hall -Bryant @ Georgia Tech -SEMO @ Missouri – SEMO will make some noise in the OVC, but is overmatched in this one -Kansas City @ Southern Illinois – both teams 1-0 -Stonehill @ DePaul – both teams 1-0 -FGCU @ Illinois – both teams 1-0 -Northern Illinois @ Wisconsin – both teams 1-0 -Utah Tech @ Arizona – both teams unbeaten -Idaho State @ San Diego – both teams 1-0 -Rice @ Oregon – both teams 1-0 -UIC @ Oregon State – both teams 1-0 -Pepperdine @ UCLA – both teams 1-0 -California Baptist @ UC Irvine – both teams 1-0
-It is very rare that I say this, but almost nothing of note happened yesterday. USC Upstate went on the road and won at Fresno State 67-66, which is the third time this season we’ve seen a Mountain West team lose a home buy game, but other than that it was uneventful. So…WATCH OUR HOOPS HD VIDEO PODCAST SPECIAL INSTEAD!!!
Chad Sherwood is joined by Rocco Miller, Zach Singer, and myself, and we discuss the ongoing issues and challenges of scheduling, particularly how so many nonD1 games are bad for the sport, and how flat out unfair it is that good teams from outside the multi-bid conferences can’t get quality opponents to play them. We look at some of the reasons as to why that is, and discuss what we think should (and can) be done about it.
Another show that you absolutely must check out is Rocco Miller’s interview with Selection Committee Chairman and Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill – CLICK HERE TO READ AND LISTEN!!
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-Long Island @ IU Indy – this game will almost assuredly have no impact whatsoever on the bubble, but it’s still an interesting game in terms of style. Both like to play fast, and IU Indy was able to score more than 100 points (albeit in a loss) to Ohio State. LIU is the clear frontrunners to win the NEC, so there’s at least a reason to turn this game on tonight.
-Illinois State @ Ohio U – both teams are expected to do well in their conferences, and this is a really good early season game for both of them.
-Central Connecticut @ Quinnipiac – A fairly interesting in-state match-up. Quinnipiac can make some noise in the MAAC this year, and perhaps even win it
-Bethune Cookman @ Miami FL – Miami better watch out! Cookman took Auburn to overtime in their season opener, and with less than a minute to go in regulation had the lead and the ball. This is a very good and very confident Bethune Cookman team, and while Miami is an ACC team, they are not a particularly good ACC team.
HOT GARBAGE BUY GAMES:
-Jackson State @ Louisville -Campbell @ West Virginia -LeMoyne @ Xavier -Robert Morris @ Drake – Drake can get to 2-0 -North Florida @ Florida – Florida can easily bounce back from the loss to Arizona -Grambling @ Iowa State – both teams 1-0 -Merrimack @ Auburn -Alcorn State @ South Alabama – South Alabama had the nice road win at Toledo in their opener and can get to 2-0 -Northwestern State @ North Texas – UNT can get to 2-0 -Cal State Nortridge @ Northern Iowa – I like this UNI team and think they can cruise in their season opener -TAMUCC @ SMU – both teams 1-0 -Chicago State @ Saint Louis -Saint Francis @ TCU – TCU needs to bounce back after the opening loss to New Orleans -Denver @ Washington -Wright State @ California – both teams 1-0
